Ah! My Goddess: Winds of Change
by Darkseid
Summary: "Preordained fate is nothing more than a fallacy." And so, Belldandy makes her choice to be more committed to Keiichi, all the while concealing the biggest secret of their relationship. Edit: On hiatus until further notice.
1. Faith and Memory

**Ah! My Goddess: Winds of Change**

_By: Darkseid_

**Chapter 1: Faith and Memory**

"Darn it…the nuts need to be tightened again…"

Keiichi grumbled to himself as he searched his toolbox for the correct wrench.

It was a pleasant morning at the Tarikihongan temple. In the skies above, puffy cumulus clouds filtered out most of the intense beams of sunlight, allowing just the right amount of illumination through. The last traces of dewdrops were disappearing from the flora scattered all over the temple grounds. Chirping could be heard in the distance, bringing along with it a semblance of tranquility.

A gust of wind gently blew alongside the shed, scattering the stray cherry blossom leaves lying around the area. Keiichi paused for a moment to admire the way the leaves drifted in the air, a welcome distraction from the maintenance he'd been performing on his bike. He'd decided that it was the right time to get around to fixing the Beemer; it had endured its fair share of scrapes, crashes, and explosions (and forced disassembly courtesy of Skuld's tampering). And so far his disposition was proving to be correct; the motorcycle was barely holding itself together.

"Thank god nothing's happened yet this morning." Keiichi sighed in relief, wiping his forehead with his left hand.

So far, the temple still retained its tranquil ambience, a rare occurrence when taking into account the temple's current inhabitants. Hardly a day goes by without Urd and Skuld causing some form of mayhem, such as holes in the walls, wrecked furniture, or partial destruction of the house. And the responsibility for restoring everything back to order always fell to Belldandy, the only goddess present maintaining a semblance of situational awareness. By sheer luck, Keiichi had managed to avoid serious injury up to this point; however, he was sure that his luck was bound to run out one of these days.

_And if something happened, I'm sure Belldandy will be there…_

He held onto that thought briefly before banishing it from his mind.

_She shouldn't have to be there all the time._ Whenever Keiichi ran into some form of trouble, ranging from earthly accidents to supernatural disasters, somehow Belldandy always managed to save him. The fact that she often ended up exhausted immediately afterwards only served to add to his guilt.

_She's suffered so much because of me…_

As that train of thought ran through his head, Keiichi was reminded of their most recent adventure. According to secondhand accounts, Hild had nearly succeeded in changing present events by inserting herself into his life at an earlier point in time. Even though the goddesses succeeded in thwarting her plans, Keiichi was aware that Belldandy nearly cracked over the course of the whole ordeal. Through Urd's recollections, he learned that Hild went to great lengths to flaunt the 'relationship' between her and his past self; he was sure that Belldandy's heart suffered great pains, pains that she kept hidden from him even now. Whenever he tried to draw an answer from her in regard to the matter, Belldandy would abruptly change the subject of their conversation, forcing him to move on.

"It's decided. Today's the day that I'll finally get her to tell me her side of the story," Keiichi suddenly declared. "No matter what it takes…"

Before he could say anything else, a black metallic sphere smashed into the ground in front of him and detonated with a loud _bang_. As his vision faded to black, Keiichi managed to get a glimpse of thunderclouds gathering in the sky.

* * *

"Not fair, Urd!"

Skuld growled in annoyance, keeping her gaze locked on her elder sister. In her left hand, she held a gray grenade launcher equipped with an auto-tracking scope. A trail of thin gray smoke drifted out of the barrel; she had recently launched a fragmentation sphere, a stronger version of her patented Skuld Bombs.

"Now, now, is that any way to talk to your older sister?" Urd waved her right pointer finger back and forth.

The older goddess was surrounded by a shimmering spherical force shield that she'd conjured up earlier. It had successfully deflected the explosive and sent it flying off to another part of the temple, where it exploded with a loud bang. Lines of electricity travelled between Urd's right fingertips as she cackled madly.

"You're a hundred years too young to beat me today, Skuld! Now it's my turn!"

A large, bright bolt of lightning shot straight down from the thunderclouds above and slammed into the ground around Skuld, causing a massive explosion of light and smoke. A loud _boom_ spread out from the point of impact and washed over Urd and everything else inside the temple grounds. The whole front courtyard of the temple became completely enveloped by a thick layer of fog, making it impossible to see anything beyond a few centimeters.

When the fog finally dissipated, it revealed a perfect circle of blackened earth where Skuld was standing earlier. Skuld herself was covered in soot in several spots, including a sizable patch on her right cheek. Her shirt was ruined, and her face was contorted in anger; during their fights, Urd usually came out on top most of the time. _Not today!_

She straightened out the grenade launcher and turned a knob counterclockwise.

"Really…you really think that's going to work this time?" To emphasize her point, Urd snapped her fingers and made the shield pulse once.

"Watch me! I'll make you eat those words! This time, it won't go flying off again!"

A deafening _bang_ emerged from the firearm's barrel as Skuld pulled the trigger. Another fragmentation sphere launched itself towards Urd with far greater speed than the previous one. However, instead of bouncing off in another direction, the black sphere exploded the moment it touched the shield. The noise from the explosion, while not as loud as the lightning's impact, could still be heard from all points around the temple.

Urd groaned as she brushed off shrapnel from the grenade from her face; the shaped explosion had directed most of the grenade's power through the shield and onto her. "Now you've done it…," she menacingly spoke in a low voice. "PREPARE TO BE OBLITERATED!"

Skuld winced as Urd raised her right hand and cackled; streams of lightning shot out of her fingertips and into the sky. Deciding that she had nothing left to lose, she turned the power amplification knob on her grenade launcher to the maximum setting and leveled the firearm for another shot. The skies above rumbled as electrical energy coursed through the air.

"Stop it, both of you!" a firm voice implored.

Urd and Skuld stopped what they were doing and turned towards the source of the voice. The sight that met them was more than enough to convince both goddesses to stop what they were doing.

Belldandy was standing at the low bamboo gate that separated the main temple from the caretaker's residence, carrying a basketful of laundry underneath her right arm. She was wearing her usual blue-and-white dress along with a pair of lavender slippers. Despite the fact that she was usually serene even under the most strenuous circumstances, right now, Belldandy was visibly irritated; her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were drawn inwards.

"Let's just try to keep calm today, alright?" Her voice returned to its normal melodic pitch. "After all, it's not very often that we get to relax on such a beautiful day as this."

Urd and Skuld couldn't help but agree with her, despite their intentions; Belldandy's presence had managed to convince even stone-hearted misers to donate their fortunes to charity. Reluctantly, they both stood down, and the weather abruptly returned back to normal.

"Big sister, we didn't mean too…but Urd…she…," Skuld began, watering her eyes.

"Fishing for sympathy again, aren't we?" said Urd with a devilish smile. "I'd thought you'd gotten past that already."

"Well, weren't you the one that ruined my Auto-Sorter 300 last night?"

"Oh!? That monstrosity of a contraption that was fumbling around my potions cabinet?" Urd sighed and drew a long breath. "It got what it deserved."

"WHAT!?" Skuld's face was plastered into an expression of absolute shock.

Skuld was so engrossed with their new argument that she didn't register Belldandy's absence; her older sister had wandered off towards the shed. Neither side was willing to back down and admit defeat; right now, the goddesses were too sour to swallow their pride. Skuld, in particular, wanted to come out on top for once, even though she knew that Urd would eventually find some way to rile her up. She was so determined to get her point across that the sound of the laundry basket dropping to the ground escaped her notice.

"Keiichi!" Belldandy wailed in panic. Her cry drowned out every other sound in the vicinity.

* * *

The sight of Keiichi covered in metallic flakes, soot, and bruises in several spots sent Belldandy into a state of mortified distress. It took the better part of an hour for her to get Keiichi back inside the house, treat his (minor) injuries, and put him inside his futon, all the while breaking into hysterics in between the tasks. After that was taken care of, she retreated back to the tea room and poured herself a cup of Darjeeling tea. She was so engrossed with watching the brown liquid's slow swirling that she didn't notice the door opening.

"Bell, how are you feeling?"

"Huh?" Belldandy relaxed her grip on her teacup, revealing faint cracks as her fingers moved away. "Oh, sis…"

She continued to stare into the depths of her cup, taking a sip of the tea. Belldandy let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes.

"I gave him a painkiller," Urd began, taking a seat next to her sister at the table. "By the time he wakes up, he'll back to normal."

Belldandy didn't reply, taking another long sip of her tea instead. She continued to stare vacantly at the picture frames hung at the center of the opposite wall. They'd been recently put up; most of them contained photos that she and Keiichi took with Megumi's old camera.

Her eyes fell on one particular photograph – the one taken by Urd that depicted her and Keiichi holding hands while fast asleep. She wistfully recalled her memories of the event – what started out as a simple opening party at Whirlwind ended up with her causing mayhem all over town in a drunken stupor and Keiichi having to take her back home. Belldandy smiled as the words he said to her at that bridge came back to the forefront of her thoughts.

_"…If I ever have to let go of this hand…that'd be the greatest unhappiness I could imagine."_

"…Hey, you there?" Urd waved her right hand back and forth across Belldandy's face.

Urd sighed, moved her hand away and got up to leave.

"Sis…, am I bad person?"

Urd stopped in her tracks and leaned against the door. She took a moment to close her eyes and breathe in deeply before turning around to face her younger sister.

"Of course not," she answered, keeping her voice impassive. "Why would you say such a thing?"

"It's just that…" Belldandy paused, twiddling her thumbs back and forth. "Keiichi suffers so much because of my presence."

"Bell…not again…"

"It's true!" the blonde went on, her voice tinged with guilt. "Remember when he caught a fever while trying to help me through my license mix-up?"

"Yeah." Marller, with Hild's assistance, had somehow temporarily changed Belldandy's goddess license into a demon operator's license instead. That fiasco had caused a great deal of trouble for the couple; Belldandy carried out many "shameful" acts for Keiichi's sake before he managed to talk her out of it. Even though the incident was resolved in the end, it left several important issues in its wake, including the one on the table right now.

"Goes to show how much strength that boy has, doesn't it?" Urd smiled wistfully, taking a swig out of her bottle. "He would have gladly suffered whatever misfortune came his way to see you come out intact."

"But he shouldn't have to," Belldandy protested. "I'm supposed to make him happy, and I've failed to do so more than enough times already -"

_SLAP!_

Belldandy abruptly stopped talking, wincing in pain as she rubbed her left cheek. She felt the sting from her sister's hand; her skin burned at the places her fingers made contact. "Sis…," she whispered in shock.

"Enough already!" Urd straightened herself, to the point of towering over her younger sister. "Bell, you know that I love you with all my heart, but I have to say that for a first-class goddess, you can be awfully naïve at times. Don't you realize that Keiichi's already more than happy enough because you're here?"

Belldandy blinked a couple of times, unsure of what to say.

"Granted," she continued, "there're still several issues that the both of you need to work out on your own. But even so, he's more than willing to pull his weight in the relationship, and I think it's about time you let him."

"I've been doing that!"

"No, you're not!" the elder goddess shot back. "You've been doing your best to take on all of the responsibilities. And it's depriving the both of you of something truly wonderful."

Both goddesses fell silent; Belldandy was deep in her thoughts, searching for an appropriate response, while Urd took another long drink from her bottle. The cuckoo clock continued to tick in the background as the quiet in the room continued on.

"Do you trust Keiichi?" inquired Urd out of the blue.

"Huh?" Belldandy came out of her stupor. It took a few seconds for the words to register. "What kind of question is that?"

"Do you trust him? Because from the way you're acting now, I doubt that you do."

"That's not true at all!" she sharply protested. "I trust Keiichi – with my heart and soul! There's no one else that makes me feel as… safe… as he does. You know this!"

"Then why haven't you talked to him about 'that'?"

Belldandy opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't force her excuse out. Eventually, deciding that she had nothing to lose, she settled for the simplest answer. "I… I… don't want him to know… what I nearly did."

"Bell…" Urd reached out to put an arm around her, but was gently rebuffed.

"I'm so ashamed." She cried softly, tears glistening in her eyes. "I honestly don't know what I would have done if it had dragged on for longer than it did. Hild… what she said… it hurts so much, sis, and I don't want him to know that. It would only make him sad, and I can't bear to see that more than anything."

Belldandy broke off and continued sobbing into her hands, letting out anguished, muted cries at intervals. Her tears seeped through her fingers, splashing softly as they crashed into the table's surface. At her side, Urd looked on in sympathy as her sister bled her heart out bit by bit.

"Bell… has it occurred to you that maybe Keiichi _wants_ to know how you honestly _feel_?"

"Snff…you think so?" Her tears slightly abated as she brought her face into view.

"Are you afraid that he'll think less of you if you poured your heart out to him? That he'll no longer want you around?"

Despite her best attempts, Belldandy could not give voice to the answer she _wanted_ to give. Letting out a soft, muted sigh, she finally let the truth out. "Yes…"

"Why, in the Almighty's name, would you think that?" asked the elder goddess, moving her gaze towards her sister's cobalt-blue irises.

"I don't know!" Belldandy cried, letting out another mournful wail. "I just know that he will."

Urd let another long-drawn sigh out. "Do you?" Ignoring Belldandy's confused expression, she continued on. "For all you know, he might actually be glad that you… _trust_ him enough to tell him what's actually on your mind."

Neither of them spoke for a while, each party unsure of what to say. The last vestiges of steam floated out of the teacup and disappeared into thin air. The ceiling light flickered for a few seconds before returning to normal.

Finally, Urd spoke up once again. "Look, it's your decision to make. I'm just telling you to think carefully about it." She rose up, straightened stray locks of her hair, and made her way over to the door. "For what it's worth," she added as she slid the door open, "I believe that you'll do the right thing when the time comes."

Alone at last, Belldandy allowed the silence in the room to envelope her for a minute before crying once again. _Heaven help me, I just wish I knew what to do._

* * *

Darkness permeated into every possible nook and cranny inside Keiichi's room. In one corner, textbooks of all sizes and subjects were haphazardly piled on top one another, having been hurriedly moved there earlier. A couple of spare parts laid strewn all over the tatami mats, along with a hastily-made futon, where Keiichi was currently sleeping. Part of it was left open, revealing the spots where Belldandy had performed healing magic on him.

Slowly, Keiichi began to stir from his rest; he fumbled around in the dark with his hands, attempting to get his bearings. His eyelids fluttered a couple of times before finally staying open, allowing him to see once again. He pushed himself off the floor and looked around the room, allowing his eyes to become accustomed to the low-light conditions.

"What happened?" he mumbled to himself. "One minute I was still at the shed, and now… I'm here."

Keiichi paused for a moment as the morning's events came back to him. Images of an explosion and thunderclouds replayed themselves in his mind.

_Urd and Skuld…,_ he concluded. _One of these days… they'll be the end of me._

He let out a sigh as he searched his drawers for a change of clothes. For three years, he'd dealt with Urd and Skuld's antics; just when he thought they couldn't top their feats of mischief, they always came up with something to prove him wrong. And each time, Keiichi handled the damage that they caused with far more tolerance than he thought possible of himself. Of course, Belldandy's presence helped to smooth things over more often than not; she was able to restore the affected person(s) and objects back to normal without notice. Even so, there were several close calls, and those had caused him enough stress to last for a lifetime and beyond.

"Ah, you're awake," a soothing voice called from the door. "Feeling better?"

Keiichi's head swiveled towards the door. "Yeah…," he answered, abruptly stopping as the doorway's occupant came into recognition. "Urd… "

"Why the long face?" Urd pouted at him. "I just came to see how you were doing."

"… I was expecting someone else…" He dropped his gaze towards the floor.

He turned around and made his way over to his desk, intent on organizing the papers strewn all over the top. Unbeknownst to him, his housemate had sneaked behind him as he placed the paper stack on the desk's right side. Before he realized it, Urd suddenly pinched his left ear and began whispering in the other one.

"Y'know, I bet Bell will do this for you if you just ask her."

"W-w-what do you mean?' he stammered, backing himself up towards the closet door.

"Oh, y'know, be 'closer' to you? Isn't that what you wanted? I mean, after all, you didn't complain so much when _Peorth _did it."

"You're not up to something, are you?" His composure returned in full force.

"Maybe… maybe not… Why? Do you want my help?"

"Urd… please don't." Keiichi finished his cleaning and was about to head out of his room. "Remember the last time you tried to 'help'?"

Keiichi shuddered as he recalled that particular incident. The spell-booster that Urd had 'given' him made it practically impossible for him to say the world 'love' or make any sound that closely resembled the word; at one point, everyone in the house was incapacitated by the overload of feelings produced by his use of the word. The fact that the Gate caused so many problems for them because of the booster only served to make him resent Urd all the more for it.

"It worked, didn't it? You can't blame me for that."

"It was a dangerous potion after all…" Keiichi's eyes narrowed, scanning Urd's face down to the last detail. "Do you realize how much trouble it caused? I had to wait until we went on that retreat before it was safe to say 'love' again."

Urd took no notice of the mechanic's last words. "Details, details. Now, I know exactly what you need this time." She produced a syringe filled to capacity with an emerald-green fluid. "Urd's Patented Inhibition Nullifier."

Keiichi winced at the sight of the needle. "Please don't…"

"Don't be like that. It's just going to remove all of those inhibitions in your head. And when they're gone, you'll feel so much better." She pushed the syringe's handle inwards slightly, letting a jet of the potion escape out of the needle's tip. "Now come here and let Urd give you your medication."

Keiichi dashed out of his room before Urd could make good on her promise, kicking up dust clouds as he did so. "I gotta go! Bike still needs fixing!"

He ran through the house, searching for somewhere he can hide at until Urd lost interest in him. Unfortunately, the list of places he could go to was rather short. Skuld's room was definitely out of question; the kid goddess would more than likely pelt him with enough of her bombs to render him senseless until morning. The bathroom would likely be the first place she'd search for him. The tea room and the kitchen had no real hiding spots; he'd be pinned down on the ground with a needle sticking out of his back the moment he set foot inside either of those places. Only one choice remained – Belldandy's room.

As Keiichi rounded the corner, the door to Belldandy's room slid open. Without thinking, he quickly rushed through the gap, only to bump into a person-sized obstacle. A loud _CRASH_ accompanied their rapid descent towards the floor.

"Eep!" Belldandy squeaked.

"Err…"

They were both stuck together on the tatami mats in Belldandy's room; the door had slid back to its closed position. Keiichi could feel Belldandy's breath caress his left cheek; their proximity to one another silenced all but the sounds coming from each of them. Her rapid heartbeat, ringing loudly in his ears, quickened his pulse and caused him to begin sweating profusely.

"Ano…," she murmured softly. Blushes appeared all over her cheeks as her eyes caught Keiichi's gaze.

_Ba-dum… Ba-dum…_

Keiichi could feel his heart race faster and faster as his breathing became more and more ragged. Rarely did he and Belldandy have moments like this; more often than not, they were always among some form of company that made such close contact impossible. But now, with nothing in the way, his nerves were beginning to get the better of him.

"Bell…" He gazed affectionately at her cobalt-blue irises.

"Keiichi…"

Slowly but surely, he leaned closer towards her. Keiichi ran his fingers gently through her flowing brown hair as she mimicked his actions. Their breathing became louder and more pronounced with each second; the rest of the world no longer registered with them. A hair's breadth of space separated their lips, slowly disappearing bit by bit as their noses rubbed against each other.

"MORISATO!"

Jolted, the couple parted from each other at once. Now that there was enough distance between the two of them, Belldandy's blushes began to fade away, leaving behind no traces of their presence. Keiichi's breathing eased up until he no longer had to close his eyes to calm himself down. Both of them tried their best to not look each other in the eye, instead focusing on an aspect of their clothing; Keiichi straightened out the rumples in his shirt, while Belldandy rearranged her dress back into its 'proper' position.

"I should get the door…" He felt a twinge of regret as the words left his mouth.

"Yeah…," Belldandy replied, keeping her eyes downcast.

He let himself out of her bedroom, letting out a breath of relief the moment the door closed behind him. The hallway was completely deserted; the eerie calm throughout the house was a welcome respite for Keiichi.

_Damnit… so close. Oh, why does this always have to happen!?_

As he passed by Skuld's 'laboratory,' he could hear _whirrs _and _clicks_ coming from inside at regular intervals; Skuld was probably busy with her next invention or whatnot. He shuddered at the thought of what she would come up with if she saw her sister and him together just now; the mere act of hand-holding had inspired her to create a kid-sized chainsaw she had 'aptly' dubbed Murder-kun (the Texas Massacre Chainsaw). Said contraption, fortunately, posed no current threat thanks to Urd's timely intervention.

The doorbell rang twice in rapid succession.

"Coming, coming," Keiichi called out, briskly stepping towards the front door.

Through the papered sections of the front sliding doors, he could make out several shadows on the other side. Keiichi heard several hushed conversations being carried out among the people outside. Without further delay, he opened the door.

"SURPRISE!"

Keiichi blinked a couple of times, shocked at the sight before him. At least a dozen people were gathered out in the yard, each carrying a party favor of some sort. He recognized most of them, including Tamiya, Otaki, and Sora, as the Motor Club's current members. To top it off, he also saw Chihiro walk up in the distance; his boss could always be counted on to show up wherever a party's present.

"Kei-chan!" someone called out from the middle of the crowd.

He knew at once who the voice belonged to; only one person addressed him as such. "Megumi."

The crowd parted, allowing his sister to make her way to the front. Despite the cold weather, Megumi was wearing nothing more than a light jumper and khakis. With her left arm, she carried a massive, fully-laden cooler.

"Well, aren't you glad to see us?" she asked with a smile.

"Err…, what are you guys doing here?" Keiichi glanced at everyone present before meeting Megumi's eyes again. "And what's with all of the stuff you brought?"

"Well…," Megumi answered, her sheepish grin growing wider with each word, "there was a bit of a mix-up at Tanaka's. The room that we reserved for our party was taken by someone else, and… yeah. So, we thought that we'd bring the party to you, seeing as you're not doing anything tonight."

He let out a despondent sigh. "Couldn't you have at least called in advance? For all you know, I might have other plans."

She boisterously laughed upon hearing his words. "Oh, Kei-chan, I know you too well. You haven't had the inclination to go out in ages – that's why we're here. We're bringing the party to you!"

"Yeah, well…" Before Keiichi could say anything else, he felt a familiar pair of hands press down on his shoulders. Out of the corner of his right eye, he spotted grey strands of hair waving gently in the light evening breeze.

"Oh! Are those bottles of Fallen Angel!?" Urd giddily exclaimed, eyeing the crate next to Tamiya. "Well, bring them in! I'll go start the music."

Taking her statement as tacit approval, everyone hurriedly made their way inside. By the time Keiichi realized what was happening, he and Megumi were the only people left outside. His sister promptly excused herself and slipped inside the house, humming to herself as she did so.

"Please make yourselves at home, I'll go make some tea," he heard Belldandy announce from the tea room. Deciding that he might as well make the best of the situation at hand, Keiichi went back inside and closed the front door behind him, wincing slightly as he heard his stereo fizz.

* * *

Two hours later, Keiichi had to admit that his earlier objections to a party were completely unfounded; if anything, a party at the house was what everyone here needed. All of the troubles from earlier in the day were forgotten as copious amounts of food and drink made its way around all the guests present. In the background, Keiichi's stereo continued to play the mix tape someone brought along with them; aside from occasional static hisses, it performed its function rather well considering its condition.

"Sing! Sing!" a couple of girls from Megumi's Softball Club cheered, waving their drinks in the air.

Right on cue, Tamiya produced a pair of microphones, one of which he handed over to Otaki. The two graduate students grinned in anticipation as the karaoke machine at the far side of the room began starting up.

"And now, a song!" they both announced in unison. "We'll be singing 'A Man on Stage'!"

Everyone in the room past the 'tipsy' point cheered as the music started pouring out of the twin speakers at the tea room's far wall. "I'm laughing and so happy I could die…" Tamiya began, his grating voice reaching all corners of the room.

Having managed to extricate himself out of the crowd, Keiichi let out a sigh, taking a sip of his cola. Even though the music and singing was still audible at his current spot, it was no longer loud enough to drown out all other sounds. _At least this isn't as bad as that time at the last Motor Club recruitment drive,_ he thought to himself.

Despite what he told most people, Keiichi missed being actively involved in the Motor Club. It had, after all, been one of the good parts of his college experience; before Belldandy entered his life, the club provided him with a sense of purpose and camaraderie in the form of its eclectic members, Tamiya and Otaki included. Not only that, the motor club also helped show him what he could accomplish with enough perseverance and creativity on his part; his victory at the Hill Climb race two years ago was a testament to the power of both qualities. Now, he occasionally lent assistance to the club in times of need, although that was becoming sporadic as Sora became more comfortable with her position.

Occupied with his recollections, Keiichi barely registered the presence slowly making its way over to him. It took him a full ten seconds to notice the prodding on his right shoulder, at which point he turned to face the person responsible. Expecting anyone but her, Keiichi backed away in surprise as Sora tried to grab his arm with both her hands.

"Senpai…," she slurred. Her hair was rumpled in several places and her cheeks were completely flushed.

"Sora, are you drunk again?" He quickly scanned the room, but couldn't find Belldandy anywhere among the guests.

"Senpai…I'm not a junior high student, y'know…hic…," she rambled on, closing the distance between her and the mechanic. "But everyone elsesh says so…it's because I'm short and tiny…"

"C'mon, no one says that." He kept one eye on the kitchen door. So far though, it remained closed and lit on the other side.

"They do!" Sora blurted out in frustration. "They think I don't know, but I do!"

Keiichi sighed, bracing himself for the spectacle to come. A part of him was glad that Belldandy was nowhere to be found; the last thing this party needed was glass shards flying all over the place. Even though it hasn't happened in a long time, his girlfriend's 'jealousy storms' manifested themselves at the most inopportune moments, often for very innocuous reasons. _If she sees me like this…_ He shuddered as his mind conjured up an image of every light bulb and bottle in the room bursting into pieces.

"It's because of my…hic…boobsh, isn't it?! Everyone says that I don't have any…but I do! Here!" She tossed her jacket aside, fully exposing her fuchsia pink turtleneck sweater.

Any composure Keiichi had left went out the window all at once. He tried to make a break for it, but Sora was too fast; she latched onto him without delay, dragging him back to the wall. He could feel two very distinctive soft lumps press against his upper right arm as Sora pressed herself in. Heat began rising through his neck as he struggled to break free from her alcohol-fueled death grip.

"I got it…," said Sora in her best matter-of-fact tone. Keiichi saw a devilish glint form up in her eyes, showing nothing but reflected light. Before he could react, Sora grabbed her sweater and tried to pull it off herself, revealing the slightest hints of her push-up bra before it got stuck on her glasses.

"Aaayeh!" Keiichi immediately grabbed both of her hands. All progress on the sweater's removal came to a halt; however, it still exposed enough skin to make Keiichi turn beet red.

"Sora, control yourself!" he pleaded, desperately pulling the sweater back down.

The struggle between the two continued on for several minutes; each time Keiichi managed to get the sweater back to its original position, Sora would always find some way to start removing it again. Fortunately, everyone in the room, including Urd and Skuld, was either too inebriated or, in Skuld's case, preoccupied with the party condiments. At several points, the both of them nearly tripped over stray bottles of sake and beer cans scattered all over the floor.

Eventually, Keiichi managed to calm Sora down enough for her to fall into a lull; she settled in a corner of the room and snoozed off moments after hitting the floor. "Phew. Glad that's over with. I'd hate to think what might have happened if she saw this."

Deciding that he needed a breath of fresh air, he opened the porch doors and stepped outside. As soon as he slid the door back into place, a cool breeze swept through the porch and washed over Keiichi, taking with it any lingering alcohol fumes and sweat from his earlier altercation. He paused for a moment to take in his surroundings, and then moved out towards the porch's edge, setting himself down next to a column.

Above, a few stars bright enough to pierce the urban haze twinkled in the night sky alongside the full moon. Moonlight illuminated the whole courtyard in front of the house, giving the pond and the plum blossom tree next to it a silvery, serene glow. Another light breeze blew through the temple, scattering the fallen blossoms all around the air.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Keiichi looked up, and was relieved to find Chihiro standing behind him, taking in the spectacle with a measure of awe. He caught sight of her eyes for a brief second; they were surprisingly lucid despite the amount of alcohol she'd consumed earlier. His boss stayed where she was for another minute or so before finally settling down next to him, albeit keeping a comfortable distance between them.

"Nights like this are becoming all the more rare nowadays," Chihiro went on, staring wistfully into the distance. "More often than not, we're too busy with our lives to notice what's going on around us. And moments like these just pass us by, never to return."

She then turned towards Keiichi, giving him a warm smile. "Speaking of which, how's Bell-chan these days?" she asked. "She's been rather quiet and subdued at work lately – I miss the old her."

"Same as ever, I guess…," Keiichi replied, keeping his gaze directed down towards the garden's path stones.

Her expression darkened slightly. "Same as ever, huh? I expected more from you. Surely you should know better than that?"

"Well, I…," he fumbled, searching for the right words. "I don't know. We hardly talk about things like that. But I know she's alright…At least, I think she is…I don't know."

"Okay, spill it."

"There's nothing wrong with the both of us," Keiichi argued. "Bell and I just don't talk about these things. We've been together long enough to know how the other's doing…" He broke off and turned his face back towards the garden. "But lately…"

"Morisato…," Chihiro interrupted, "you may think that you know what's going through Bell-chan's mind, but do you really?" Disregarding his confused expression, she continued on. "We girls are very, very fickle creatures – one minute, we'd be happy with the world, and by the next, we'd be kicking and screaming. It's just the way we are."

"But Bell's not like that at all. You've known her long enough – mood swings just don't happen to her."

"That's not all." She scooted closer to him and dropped her voice down an octave. "We're also very possessive of our secrets."

"Hmm?" Keiichi arched his eyebrows upwards.

"Secrets. More often than not, they're trivial matters, but we bury them deep within ourselves regardless. And nothing can make us give them up easily – the biggest fights between couples are over a girl's secrets. I've had my fair share of them, and believe me, they can get very ugly."

"Look, I know Bell has her fair share of secrets, but what does this have to do with anything?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She coyly smiled, motioning towards the tea room's door. "Bell-chan's hiding a very big secret, and it's the reason why she hasn't been acting like her usual self. And I'm willing to bet that it has something to do with you two."

Keiichi spoke up a while later, keeping his voice calm. "It is." Chihiro remained impassive; only her eyes betrayed any signs of recognition. "Something…happened between us recently, and she doesn't want to talk about it." He let out a long-drawn sigh. "It's killing me…not knowing what it is and why it's so important. And it hurts…"

"Morisato…" Her expression softened at once; she placed a hand on his left arm. "Do you trust her?"

He closed his eyes and thought about the question for a minute before answering. "Without a doubt."

"Then believe in yourself for a change. She thinks the world of you – I can see it in her eyes every single moment she looks at you at work. And, more importantly, trust her. She'll tell you what's on her mind in time – I'm sure of it."

Chihiro stood up, walked around for a few steps without wobbling, and then made her way to the front door. "Oh, one more thing," she added. "Both of you take the day off tomorrow. Looks like I'm going to be out of the shop anyway." And with that, she disappeared around the corner; Keiichi heard the door slide back and forth once along with her off-beat footsteps.

Convinced that his boss was gone for the night, Keiichi decided to check on the remaining guests. Opening the tea room's porch door, he saw that everyone present was incapacitated in one way or another. The majority of the room was piled up in one corner, snoozing away without a care whatsoever, while the rest were just about past the point of consciousness; Keiichi could hear one of the girls hunched over the table incoherently mumble something about softballs. Not only that, in the time he was gone, the amount of discarded bottles and cans went up considerably; there were very few spots on the floor that weren't covered by one or the other.

Just then, the kitchen door opened, allowing him to see Belldandy slowly step inside the room. She had a cup of tea with her, and aside from her slightly-closed eyes, she appeared to be alert for the most part.

"Oh, is it over already?" She smiled as she caught sight of Skuld taking a nap near an empty carton of Baskin Robbins's mint ice cream. "And everyone was having so much fun too."

"Where were you?" asked Keiichi, blushing slightly as he caught sight of her. "I hardly saw you at all during the party – they weren't asking too much of you, were they?"

"Not at all. It wasn't a hassle for me to keep the refreshments and snacks coming – although it was difficult to keep up towards the end…" Belldandy let out a sheepish smile. "I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

"It's okay," he reassured her. "If you didn't do that, you wouldn't be you, Bell. That's one of the things I like about you."

A second later, Keiichi broke eye contact with Belldandy, the color in his cheeks rising up slightly. He broke out into a fit of embarrassed laughter for a while before regaining his composure. "Well, now what? It looks like everyone here's going to be crashing for the night."

He noticed that Belldandy had looked away as well; her cheeks were very pink at this point. She mumbled a couple of incoherent phrases before finally settling on something concrete. "In that case, I should begin cleaning up. Someone might have an accident with all of these bottles and cans lying around."

"I'll help," he offered at once.

"No, it's okay. You should probably get some rest. It's late already, after all." She conjured up a trash bag and began levitating the closest sake bottles and cans into it.

"You sure?" He looked around the room and saw refuse rising up from every corner.

"Yes," Belldandy reaffirmed. "I'll be alright. Go to sleep, Keiichi. I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright, in that case," he turned to her as he stepped out into the hallway, "goodnight, Bell."

"Goodnight, Keiichi," she replied with a whisper.

* * *

All was quiet inside Belldandy's room save for the steady ticking of the clock hanging on the wall. The whole room was shrouded in shadow; the shades were drawn up completely, blocking off all natural illumination. As the morning commenced, sunlight began streaming in through minute gaps in the window shades, drawing bright lines on the tatami mats. They slowly crept up towards Belldandy's futon, eventually finding their way right on top of her eyelids.

At first, Belldandy didn't notice the intrusion on her sleep; she simply rolled over on her side and continued snoozing on. A small sliver of sunlight, however, still managed to reach the corner of her right eye. It twitched in response, seeking a way to avoid further contact with the source of its irritation. Finally, both of Belldandy's eyes snapped open, no longer wishing to deal with the constant stimuli. She gracefully rose up from her futon, stretched both her arms upwards, and let out a yawn before throwing the shades wide open.

At once, all of the shadows in the room suddenly vanished; the morning sunlight poured inside in full force. Outside, Belldandy could see more plum blossom leaves floating gently through the air. She smiled at the sight for around a minute or so before resuming her morning routine. A flick of her fingers sent her hair rearranging itself back into a neat, organized state. Moments later, she quickly changed into an icterine blouse and a sandy brown midi skirt, donning a light blue hair clip as well. Finally, Belldandy folded up her futon and packed it inside its compartment in her closet along with her pillows.

Humming to herself, she made her way over to the kitchen, taking care not to disturb the house's other occupants, Keiichi in particular. As she passed by her boyfriend's room, Belldandy snuck a peek at his sleeping form through a crack in the door. She lingered for a while, unable to stop admiring the sight of him resting peacefully.

"Urd, queen of the hill, demands aspirin!"

Her sister's rant knocked Belldandy out of her trance; she blinked a couple of times before realizing where she was. Picking herself up, she snuck away from Keiichi's room and entered the tea room. Once she was past the door, she turned beet red upon registering the state of affairs inside. Somehow, after she'd gone off to bed, Urd had managed to get herself into a revealing state of undress; her upper chest was completely exposed along with a sizable portion of her midriff. Empty bottles of Fallen Angel sake were piled up on the table; Belldandy noticed a stream of the potent drink dribbling from the left corner of Urd's lips.

"Where's that aspirin!" Urd groggily yelled out. "The whole room's shaking, and someone won't shut off that stereo! I need aspirin, stat!"

"Sis…" Belldandy brought out her handkerchief and wiped away the sake. "It's not even noon yet, and you're already sloshed. How many bottles did you have since last night?"

"Eh?" Urd raised her right eyebrow up. "I don't know – about four, maybe five. It got too boring after you left, and I thought I might as well let myself go. After all, we don't get to celebrate like this very often." She attempted to bring her vision back into focus. "So, where's the aspirin?"

Belldandy sighed, producing a container from behind her. "Even if you're a goddess, sis, one of these days…," she gently admonished as she poured out three pills. "Here you go. This should get you back on your feet, I think. But take it easy for the rest of today, alright? Keiichi and I have to go to work soon."

"M'kay…" Urd counted the pills, swallowed them in one go, and gulped down the glass of water Belldandy handed to her. "Phew, that's better. At least the noise stopped. Now, if only the whole room would stop shaking."

"I'm going to make breakfast." She took the empty glass back. "Try not to wake everyone else up, alright?"

She took a look at the tea room's other occupants. Skuld was still snoozing away next to the ice cream containers. All of the other guests save for Megumi had already left; Keiichi's sister continued to sleep away in the space in front of the closet.

Satisfied that everyone was fine for the most part, Belldandy disappeared into the kitchen and closed the door. Opening the refrigerator, she brought out a carton of eggs and a bottle of milk, along with a bowl of cut carrots and onions. _"I wonder if Keiichi would like an omelet today?"_ she thought, searching for the whisk and bowl among the other kitchen implements.

Having found what she was looking for, Belldandy began preparations at once. She gently cracked open three eggs, pouring the contents into the wooden bowl, taking care to not drop in a single shell fragment. "Cooking, cooking, cooking, is so fun…," she gently hummed to herself as she mixed in the vegetables. Holding the whisk with a firm grip, she stirred the eggs until they turned a consistent shade of light yellow.

Steam sizzled from the frying pan as Belldandy added a pat of butter. Steadily, the butter melted under the heat, spreading itself all over the pan's surface. She then poured the contents of the bowl into the frying pan, moving the pan back and forth to ensure that the eggs settled evenly. A delicious aroma wafted from the cooking omelet, eliciting a smile from the goddess.

"Mmm, that smells delicious," a familiar voice commented behind the goddess.

Shocked, Belldandy nearly dropped the pan onto the stove. "Keiichi…," she gasped, turning her head over her shoulder.

She blushed profusely the moment she saw him; even though Keiichi was only in his regular white t-shirt and jeans, Belldandy couldn't help but think how handsome he looked. Her knees threatened to give away, and it took all of her willpower to remain upright without leaning on some form of support.

"Breakfast will be ready soon," she suddenly blurted out, turning back to the stove. "Please wait a little while longer."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Keiichi droop his shoulders in resignation as he headed back into the tea room. Once she was sure he was out of hearing range, Belldandy let out a sigh of relief. Her composure had threatened to evaporate then and there, and would have if he'd stayed any longer.

"_Nice going…,"_ her conscience berated her. _"You couldn't have been any more obvious than that. Now's he probably sitting out there, wondering what to do when you finally enter."_

"_Stop it!" _she argued, flipping the omelet over with the skillet. _"I didn't mean to do that. It's just – he's been on my mind lately, that's all."_

"_Now, now, there's no use denying it. First-class goddesses shouldn't lie, after all."_ Belldandy closed her eyes and let out a long-drawn breath. _"Admit it, you want him…badly."_

So much heat flowed into Belldandy's face that she literally turned beet red. _"I do not!"_ she chastised herself. _"Well, maybe…,"_ she conceded after a while. _"But would he...?"_

"_You really love selling yourself short, don't you? Haven't you noticed the way he looks at you? If anything, make it easier for him – start suggesting it every now and then."_

"_I suppose…" _ Belldandy tossed the omelet into the air and expertly caught it with a plate.

"_Stop holding yourself back – after all, hasn't he made it clear that he __**loves**__ you more than enough times? Trust him – trust that he'll do the right thing when the time comes, and you'll see that you've been worrying over nothing."_

She brought her attention back to the present, setting the omelet's plate onto a tray along with a jug of orange juice. Banishing all traces of her earlier discomfort, Belldandy put on her best smile and stepped out into the tea room, carrying the breakfast tray with poise and grace.

"Here you go!" She gently set the tray down on the table. "I hope you like it."

"It looks wonderful," Keiichi told her. "It wasn't too difficult to make, was it?"

"Not at all." Belldandy sat down next to him. "Besides, what matters most is your happiness." She turned towards him and calmly smiled. "So, how is it?"

Using the fork, Keiichi sliced the omelet, took a piece, and quickly ate it. He savored it for a few seconds before swallowing; his eyes lit up considerably afterwards. "It's heavenly…," he answered. "You've really outdone yourself this time, Bell."

"Thanks." She blushed slightly in her cheeks. "I'm glad you enjoy it."

Just then, Skuld drove herself between the pair. "Keiichi…," she growled, "get away from my sister. I want to sit next to her!"

"Oh, jeez, Skuld, not this again. Why do you have to be so cranky in the morning?"

"Stop delaying already! You're hogging my big sis all to yourself again. It's not fair!" Her hair was frazzled to a considerable degree; it obscured part of her forehead and stuck out at several places.

"My," Belldandy tittered. Despite her best efforts, Skuld refused to budge an inch from her seat. Letting herself go for a moment, she gripped her teacup with such ferocity that it shattered into several pieces. Darjeeling tea spilled all over the table, some of it ending up on Belldandy's right hand.

"Oh my! I'll clean this up. Excuse me." She got up at once and disappeared into the kitchen before anyone could say a word.

Once the door was tightly closed behind her, Belldandy allowed the sobs she'd been holding back to escape. Tears welled up in her eyes; she braced herself against the counter with both hands, turning the faucet on in the process. The flowing water effectively masked every other sound in the room; her face visibly relaxed.

_Get a grip on yourself, Belldandy,_ she mentally chided herself. _What if somebody had been hurt? What if Keiichi…_

Images of Keiichi bleeding profusely from glass cuts raced through her thoughts; Belldandy shuddered as she digested each and every one of them. Although she'd managed to mostly rein in her jealousy, it still found ways to manifest itself, and lately, each bout of her 'jealousy storms' became intense enough for her to register. Thankfully, all of the latest incidents escaped Keiichi's notice, including her near-total breakdown during their foray into the past.

"Bell, are you alright?" she heard her boyfriend ask through the door.

"I'm fine, Keiichi. I'll be right out." She grabbed the washcloth off the sink's rim and shut off the faucet, making her way to the door.

Keiichi and Skuld looked at her with concern the moment she set foot back inside the tea room. "Big sister, what's wrong?" Skuld asked as Belldandy wiped away the spilt tea.

"Nothing's wrong, Skuld. I'm perfectly fine. Couldn't be better."

"But…" Skuld clammed up all of a sudden. She twiddled her fingers and went back to staring at them.

Belldandy paused to glance over at her sister, leaving the washcloth on the table. Seeing that Skuld was trying her best to avoid eye contact, she dropped the matter and went back to wiping up the tea. A couple of scrubs later, the table was once again clean.

"There, all done." Belldandy snapped her fingers, sending the washcloth flying off into the kitchen.

Before she realized it, breakfast was already over. Skuld had gone back to her room, intent on finishing up her work before the afternoon began. In the corner, Megumi slowly woke up, wiping vestiges of her slumber away from her eyes. As for Keiichi, he was picking up the dishes one by one, piling them up into a perfect stack.

"Here, let me help you." She reached out to take a plate.

"It's alright, Bell." He rose up, carrying all of the plates with him. "I've got this – why don't you take it easy this morning? After all, you do most of the work around here anyway – you deserve a break."

In spite of herself, Belldandy nodded, and Keiichi promptly disappeared into the kitchen. With nothing left to do, she scooted over to Keiichi's place at the table and turned on the television. She flipped through several channels before finally settling on a cooking program; it featured a special session on making soufflés.

"…keeping the soufflé from deflating is the trickiest part. The key is to control the heat within the oven…"

The program's host continued narrating on the screen; Belldandy paid rapt attention to her every single word. So engrossed was she with the details that she failed to notice Megumi wake up, yawn, and leave the room. In the background, the clock continued to tick away; the goddess took no heed of the time and continued to watch the soufflé cook.

Seven minutes later, the program finally ended with a list of tips to make a better soufflé. At this point, Belldandy finally turned her attention to the clock, letting out a short gasp as the time registered with her. "Keiichi! We're going to be late!"

The kitchen door opened, and her boyfriend popped his head into the tea room. "We don't have to go to work today, Bell. Chihiro gave us the day off."

"Really?" Her expression softened immediately. "That's a relief. For a moment, I was worried that Chihiro would be disappointed if we were late…"

"Well…regardless…," Keiichi continued, a sheepish smile breaking across his face, "we should do something today. I mean, after all…why waste a perfectly good day staying here at the house."

"That sounds great." She smiled back at him. "So, what shall we do then? Stop by the university for a visit?"

"Eh…I was thinking we go somewhere else a bit more…romantic." A visible red flush spread across his face. "That is, if you want to. We haven't had much time to ourselves lately, so I thought…"

"I'd love to!" she answered at once. Her eyes visibly lit up at the same time.

"Great." Keiichi let out a short breath. "Just let me finish cleaning up in here and get my jacket, and we'll leave."

The kitchen door closed, and Belldandy found herself alone in the tea room once again. Without delay, she got up at once and hurried out into the hallway. As soon as she got to the front door, however, she caught sight of her reflection in the hallway mirror out of the corner of her eye.

_Oh no! I look like a complete mess! I have to fix this quickly before he notices._

Instead of using magic, Belldandy began straightening out the kinks in her hair on her own, using the mirror as a guide. Not one stray lock of hair escaped her diligent ministrations; each one fell back into place as her fingers ran through them. In no time at all, she managed to make herself look even more impressive; for a moment, Belldandy felt a surge of pride pass through her and gave herself a slight congratulatory smile.

"Almost ready," Keiichi called out from down the hallway.

She could hear his footsteps coming closer by the second; Belldandy anxiously paced back and forth, stealing glances at the mirror with every pass. Before she realized it, her boyfriend was standing next to her, sporting his signature black leather jacket.

"Eep!" she squeaked, turning away from Keiichi in a rush.

"You alright, Bell?"

Belldandy took a deep, inaudible breath, collected her composure, and turned back to face him with a radiant smile. "Yes, dear. I'm just not feeling rather myself today."

"Well, shall we go?" He offered her his hand.

She reciprocated his gesture, squeezing his hand affectionately. "Of course! I can hardly wait."

They both walked out the front door, keeping their hands together.

* * *

A combination of balanced sunlight and cool, soothing winds made Nekomi's bayside park the place to be for the day. The walkway on the shoreline bustled with people from all around town, mostly couples looking to take advantage of the weather. A fragrant aroma wafted all around the area, further enhancing the overall ambience. With each passing moment, Keiichi became more firmly convinced that nothing could go wrong at all today; everything seemed to fall into place without prompt.

Turning towards the shoreline, he saw his girlfriend leaning on the railing, staring off into the horizon. Her hair waved gently in the breeze, alluringly caressing her shoulders in the process. As he approached her, he could hear her mirthfully laughing into the distance.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Bell," Keiichi casually mentioned once he was within earshot.

"It's very pleasant here," she replied, keeping her gaze on the undulating seawater. "I can feel it – the positive emotions of all the people here, the melding of the ocean's and mountains' winds – I'm reveling in the energies they're giving off."

"I'm glad you like it here. For a moment, I was worried that you'd want to be somewhere else."

Belldandy slowly turned to face him with a reassuring smile. "As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter where I am. After all, Keiichi, you're the reason for my happiness."

"I…I am?" he stuttered; drops of sweat trickled down his forehead.

"Absolutely."

Her last remark stunned Keiichi into silence. He was at a loss for words, unable to come up with a proper response. His mouth remained agape while the remainder of his face remained frozen in shock.

Belldandy looked at him with puzzlement for a few minutes before she finally spoke up. "Keiichi, are you alright?"

The inquiry brought Keiichi out of his stupor. He blinked a couple of times, regaining his bearings. "Eh, I'm fine," he hurriedly babbled. "Why don't we take a walk for a while?"

She eagerly nodded, taking his hand into hers and pulling away from her perch. The couple made their way down the bayside path, weaving their way through the joggers, cyclists, and other pedestrians. At one point, Belldandy leaned closer towards him, resting her head on his right shoulder. It took Keiichi the better part of a minute to calm himself down and draw her closer in response, all the while fighting the urge to just simply break down on the spot.

It wasn't until they passed a group of kids playing with a Frisbee that conversation between the two resumed. "I'm sorry!" Belldandy blurted out.

"For what?" Keiichi was taken aback by the sudden revelation.

"Did I say something?" She twiddled her fingers. "You must be hearing things, Keiichi – oh, look, an ice cream stand! I'll get us vanilla cones."

Before he could say anything else, Belldandy rushed off towards the concession stand at the junction, leaving him behind. A dozen questions immediately burst to the forefront of his thoughts. _What was that all about!?_ _Come to think of it, she's been acting weird all morning, especially during that time in the kitchen…_

Any further progress along that particular train of thought came to a halt as the goddess returned with two vanilla ice cream cones, complete with rainbow sprinkles. "Here you go," she beamed, offering him one.

"Thanks, Bell." Keiichi stared at the cone for a while before finally taking a bite. "Did you add something else?" he asked, digesting the explosion of flavors in his mouth. "I don't remember the cones here being particularly…delicious."

"Are they?" She stole a small bite from his cone, causing Keiichi's cheeks to become suffused with bright patches of red.

"Y..yeah…" His mind was barely able to process the events happening before him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out where Belldandy's…flirty…streak was coming from. _It isn't that bad, actually – if only my nerves could take the shock in stride._

Keiichi inwardly sighed as the relevant memory shoved its way to the forefront of his thoughts. As a result of ingesting one of Urd's pills, Belldandy temporary lost all of her inhibitions. For the duration of that day, she'd engaged in relentless flirting with Keiichi, to the point where she almost slept with him on impulse. And despite the circumstances, he still managed to retain his composure long enough for her to return back to normal.

_Would it be better if she was like that all the time?_ A trickle of sweat dripped down the left side of Keiichi's forehead. Up until now, Belldandy had been rather…reserved, in regards to their relationship. Aside from a few instances where she took the initiative – he still savored that kiss she gave him on the cheek after the Lord of Terror incident – she was more than content to let him decide their pace.

"_Well, what's holding you back?"_ a part of him opined.

"_I…"_ For several moments, no matter how hard he tried, Keiichi could not come up with a satisfactory answer. _"…I don't know…"_

"Well, aren't you going to finish the rest of your cone?" Belldandy asked, clasping the back of his left hand with her right.

"Huh?" He felt a stream of cold, sticky liquid drip down the breadth of his right hand. "Gah! It's melting already!" Panicking, he quickly took a large bite of the soft-serve ice cream.

As he finished off the rest of the cone, Keiichi could hear Bell giggling in the background. "Keiichi, you really didn't have to wolf it down like it was going to go away. I could have just fixed the cone with a snap of my fingers."

"Bell, there're people here, remember?" To emphasize the point, he cocked his head towards another couple strolling down the path. "We'd be the center of attention if anyone notices an ice cream cone suddenly reform itself."

Belldandy blinked twice before taking a look around, suddenly realizing where she was. "You're right. That completely slipped my mind." Chuckling, she dashed forward, keeping her hold on Keiichi's hand. "Come on, let's get moving. We've still got plenty to do today, don't we, dear?"

In spite of the sudden shift in pace, Keiichi couldn't help but laugh along. "Yes, Bell, we do."

* * *

"I need to catch my breath. Hold on…" Keiichi panted, leaning on a concrete pillar.

Despite being a goddess herself, Belldandy, at that moment, felt rather exhausted. "Yes, dear…," she weakly replied, taking in a long, deep breath.

In her thoughts, she smiled to herself as she found seating on a bench conveniently placed at the waterfront. It had been a while since they both had time to themselves, free of interference from outside parties. And they had spent every single moment of the afternoon fruitfully; in particular, Bell thoroughly enjoyed the impromptu race they had with each other.

"It's beautiful," Keiichi began, settling down next to her. In the distance, the sun slowly sank beneath the ocean's horizon.

"Yes, it is, and I'm glad you're here with me now, Keiichi." She felt his left arm coming to rest on her left shoulder, and reciprocated by snuggling against the nook of his neck.

For several minutes, Belldandy did nothing except enjoy her present situation. Nothing else besides the two of them mattered; all she needed was to be here, with him. With every passing moment, her breathing slightly quickened, along with her pulse. Eventually, she allowed herself to smile in contentment, snuggling closer into her paramour's chest.

"_Tell him,"_ her conscience reminded her. _"Delaying further won't help."_

Belldandy took a deep breath and composed herself. "Keiichi?" she began, "we've been living together for quite some time now, haven't we?"

"Almost three years now, if I remember correctly. I still can't believe it's been that long since you showed up in my dorm room on that night." He chuckled for a bit. "And every moment since then has been truly wonderful, Bell, because of you."

Upon hearing those words, she couldn't help but blush profusely all over her face, her cheeks in particular. "Keiichi…you always know what to say." She paused, took another deep breath, and continued, "It's one of the reasons I love you so."

"I…well…" He scratched the back of his head. "I'm glad that I'm able to do that for you."

Neither one of them spoke for quite some time. With each passing minute, Belldandy felt more and more nervous, unsure whether or not to move forward. Her hands trembled in anticipation, causing Keiichi to squeeze her right hand in reassurance.

"_Go for it!"_

She turned towards him, her eyes firmly locking onto his. "Keiichi…we've been through quite a number of trials together, so many that I've lost count. And each and every time, you or I have always made it through together, for better or worse." He opened his mouth to speak; she promptly stopped him with a forefinger on his lips. "Not once have you faltered away from the challenges we've been put up against, and for that, I truly am blessed to have you by my side."

She paused, allowing the words to register with her paramour. When he nodded in acknowledgement, she continued on. "While it's true that I first came here to grant your wish, it is no longer the reason that I'm still here, on this wonderful Earth, with you and everyone else. You…you've shown me how to live for myself, free from outside expectations. And it feels absolutely wonderful to be able to do that." She broke eye contact, turning her gaze towards the darkening water. "But there's also an ugly part of me that wants you to love no one but myself."

Belldandy closed her eyes, letting out a soft whimper. "Could you love me despite that, Keiichi? Love a goddess with anger and jealousy in her heart?"

Keiichi tightened his grip on her shoulder, drawing her closer towards him. "Bell…I love you because of that."

"Keiichi…," she whispered, the shock evident in her tone.

"In all the time we've been together, I've learned this – no one is perfect, goddess or mortal. And it doesn't matter if we do everything right or if everything falls into place for us. What matters is how we deal with our imperfections – our fears, our sorrows, our shortcomings." He gave her a reassuring smile. "For what it's worth, I'm glad that you trust me enough to let me know this, Bell. It means a lot to me."

"Oh Keiichi…" She sniffled; a steady stream of tears flowed from her eyes. "Thank you." Without delay, she squeezed him as tightly as she could.

As she held onto her paramour, Belldandy mulled over all of the doubts she harbored within her up to this point. In an instant, she suddenly realized how groundless all of them were. Her Keiichi – her one and only, her other half – would stand by her no matter what; she simply allowed her insecurities to darken her thoughts up until now. _And so, __I have nothing to fear. Not now, and not ever again._

Belldandy wiped away the last of her tears and straightened herself up. "I think I might take up on that offer of yours, dear."

"Hmm? What are you talking about, Bell?"

"To depend on you more!" She mirthfully smiled at him. "Sis was right – I've been taking on the entire burden in our relationship up until now. And somewhere along the way, I've forgotten that it takes more than one person to make this work." Belldandy looked deep into his eyes and squeezed his hand in a reassuring fashion.

"Belldandy…"

"So, Keiichi…from now on, please take care of me." Before he could say anything else, she leaned in towards his face, leaving a hair's breadth of space between their lips. Her breathing quickened by such a degree that her heart almost gave out then and there. She could feel his breaths on her lips, each one making her blush harder. Shutting her eyes, she took one last breath, closed the distance, and kissed her beloved as deeply as she could.

As she ran her left hand through his hair, Belldandy savored every single sensation brought about by their kiss – the blood racing through her veins, the sweet, full taste of his lips, among countless others - and held onto them for as long as possible. So strong was her joy that it threatened to overwhelm every last thought in her mind. Every single second of contact seemed to stretch on for an eternity, so much that she soon felt out of breath. Despite that, she refused to part her lips from his, not wanting to be deprived of this…guilty…pleasure. _If I have to die here and now for this, then so be it._

Eventually, it was Keiichi who finally broke their kiss, unable to hold on for any longer. "Wow…," he gasped, breathing heavily. "I have no idea what to say."

Belldandy lightly traced her fingers across his lips. "Don't," she softly confessed, opening her eyes. "Let's just enjoy this moment for what it is."

For the rest of the evening, underneath the bright, starry sky, the whole universe and all it encompassed became inconsequential to her. _All that matters __is right here next to me._


	2. For My One and Only

**Chapter 2: For My One and Only**

The lack of snowfall greatly troubled Keiichi.

One week had already passed since their date in the park, and during that entire period of time, hardly any snow was present within Nekomi's city limits. It had gotten to the point where the local meteorologists began actively commenting on the unusually good weather during their segments on the local news channels. In addition to that, the days began to get warmer – most of the city's residents have stopped wearing sweaters and winter jackets; consequently, Nekomi's outdoor recreation areas are now frequented more than usual for this time of year.

He couldn't help but wonder if Belldandy had something to do with all of this. Ever since that day, she'd been more focused than ever with everything she did, whether it be cooking meals, maintaining the temple grounds, or manning Whirlwind's register. Occasionally, he would catch her singing to herself, smiling mirthfully as she did so. And to top it off, every time they were alone together, she would find new ways to kiss him on the lips; each session left him thoroughly satisfied yet wanting more.

Keiichi wistfully smiled, running his fingers across his lips. They arrived at work seven minutes late today – Bell had been very reluctant to part her lips from his earlier this morning. He could still taste the remnants of her strawberry lip gloss in his mouth; she'd taken to using it every chance she got. "For you, dear," she told him earlier.

There was little time to dwell on that memory, however; today's workload would keep him occupied for the greater part of the morning and afternoon. Whirlwind was to take apart a retro motorcycle, polish up the engine, and add in a turbo – the client wanted unmatched performance out of the bike. In addition to that, the rest of the bike also needed an overhaul. And so it fell to him to carry out all of these tasks; Chihiro had taken off to parts unknown, leaving the shop in his care.

Keiichi was halfway done with dismounting the engine when Chihiro finally came back. "What a morning," she said to no one in particular. "The roads were completely clear – I can finally stop using tire chains." Her eyes caught sight of the disassembled bike. "How close is it to being finished?"

"Still a ways to go." He removed another screw from the bike's undercarriage. "The clutches still need to be replaced. The engine's also going to need to be completely taken apart and retuned." Keiichi reached for a 3/8 wrench, keeping his eyes on the engine. "Whose bike is this, by the way? The W800 isn't supposed to be available for another month."

"Friend of mine knows someone who works for Kawasaki's R&D. Got it as a surprise gift." She eyed the chrome tank emblems closely. "It's beautiful. He's one lucky guy to have this."

Keiichi sighed. _Wish I could have one these._ He had lost count of the bikes he personally fixed ever since he began working at Whirlwind. Some of them were quite impressive – Chihiro had to tear him off the red Ducati Streetfighter he tuned up a month ago when it was finally done. Acquiring a proper bike in the near future was but a pipe dream for him – Urd and Skuld's antics, more often than not, had hefty price tags attached to them, even with Belldandy's intervention.

As midday approached, the heat gradually became more and more oppressive, and Chihiro decided to retreat back into the confines of the shop. Keiichi however, did not have that luxury, not for another hour or so. _Regular weather would've been better,_ he briefly entertained. Cold weather had never truly troubled him – one of the perks of having grown up in Hokkaido. Even the frigid ocean waters failed to faze him, as his recent seaside retreat aptly demonstrated.

"Thirsty?" a familiar feminine voice asked.

He looked up and found a can of cola waiting for him. "Thanks, Bell," he said, reaching up for the can. With a flick of his fingers, Keiichi popped the lid open and took a long drink.

"It's a beautiful bike," Belldandy began, eyeing the vehicle. "Whoever owns this loves it dearly. And I can also see the effort you've put into it so far, dear." She gave him a bright smile.

"Well…" Keiichi scratched the back of his head. "It's still not finished. There's a lot to be done, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to finish on time at this rate." He slid back under the bike, pushing a small cloud of dust up behind him. "Pass me the 3/8, would you?"

Belldandy handed him the wrench. "I never get tired of watching you fix machines," she spoke after a while. "Somehow, I can't imagine you doing anything else with such focus and intent." She leaned over the bike's fuel tank, above where his head was currently. "The first thing that comes to mind whenever I think of you is someone who is _loved_ by _all_ machines."

"If you say so." He still remembered his encounter with the Machiners, an enigmatic race of robots, or rather, living machines. They had come to him some time ago for repairs, claiming that he possessed an intrinsic quality necessary for the process. Keiichi still had the toolbox they gave him as a token of gratitude, currently stashed away in his room – the tools within greatly enhanced the performance of all machinery they came into contact with. Despite the risk of unwanted questions and attention, he still occasionally used those tools to perform repairs, both on his own bike and the ones left in his care at Whirlwind.

Before he knew it, lunchtime arrived, and he took off at once into the cool, dry confines of the container that served as Whirlwind, with Belldandy close behind him. Inside, a kettle of hot tea and Bell's homemade bento box awaited him on the coffee table. Behind the register, Chihiro was busy keying in transactions from the ledger, pausing at regular intervals to cross off finished entries. A warm cup of tea sat precariously on the counter's edge – Chihiro took regular sips from it and placed it back ever closer to falling off, all the while keeping her eyes on the screen.

Keiichi waited for his paramour to sit down across from him before opening the box, revealing the best meal she'd prepare to date. Inside was a sizeable serving of grilled eel and steamed rice, accompanied by a portion of lettuce salad. Simple, yet elegant in presentation – Belldandy took great pride in her culinary skills – it brightened his spirits immediately.

"It looks delicious." He picked up the pair of chopsticks next to the box, and took a bite of the eel. A torrent of rich, bursting flavors engulfed his sense of taste. "And it's absolutely delicious," he complimented after swallowing the portion. "You've really outdone yourself today, Bell."

"I'm glad you enjoy it, dear." She took a long drink out of her teacup.

They made small talk as he finished the rest of the lunch, with the weather as the centerpiece. Belldandy cheerily commented on the abundant sunshine. "More intense than last year," she pointed out in between sips of her tea. "We should spend more time outdoors this weekend. I'd like to go to the park again. Just the two of us."

He nodded in agreement. "If that's what you want." In all honesty, Keiichi was elated that she brought up the idea. Their previous outings had always included Urd and Skuld, both of whom somehow managed to derail the couple's progress in their relationship. _Skuld bombs…_ His ribs ached as he recalled the latest instance the explosives were used on him. Not having the other two goddesses around would drastically improve his health and sanity.

Soon enough, his lunch break ended, and Keiichi packed the now-empty bento box back into his knapsack. Belldandy had disappeared off behind the store, taking the kettle and teacups with her. He could hear her singing through the door, and smiled as her voice soothed all the worries he currently harbored within. Her voice, he noticed, had become more refined as of late, able to invoke stronger emotions from everyone who heard it. Each note touched his heart to the core, filling his mind with vibrant images of her feelings.

Just as he was about to leave the store, Chihiro called out to him. "Oy, Morisato, got a minute?" She motioned over towards the counter.

"Sure, boss." He walked over to the register. "Something you want to talk about?"

"Valentine's day is coming up in a few days." She pointed at the calendar on the wall behind her. "Bell-chan's been in high spirits all week. Seems to me that she's got a surprise planned for you this year."

"I wouldn't know. She never lets on anything until the day itself."

Chihiro gave him a warm smile. "How romantic. You're one lucky person, y'know? To have someone else to care for you like Bell does."

Keiichi nodded in response.

"Enough about Bell-chan – what about you? What are you going to get for her this year? Chocolate, like always? Or something else entirely different?" She eyed him closely, half-waiting for his response.

"I have a month to work on that. White day's still not here."

"That's true, I suppose." Chihiro took another sip of her tea. "Why not do something different this year though, Morisato? Like, giving her a proper gift on Valentine's?"

"What do you mean?"

"In the West, couples exchange gifts on Valentine's Day. White day is, for all intents and purposes, a custom confined to our country." She briefly paused, keying in another entry into the register. "In many ways, their version makes more sense. What could possibly be better than exchanging gifts with your beloved on the same day?"

Once again, he silently agreed with her. _It would be nice to do something new for a change._ For the past two years, they've only exchanged chocolates on the respective dates. A proper gift this time around would change things, hopefully for the better.

Chihiro finished the last of her tea. "Anyways, it's just food for thought. I sure as hell won't be celebrating Valentine's this year…again." She muttered a couple of incoherent curses. "Sigh…aren't there any decent guys left?"

An awkward silence filled the room. "Are you alright, boss?" Keiichi spoke after a minute.

"It's nothing. I'll be fine." Her demeanor instantly turned serious. "You should get back to working on the bike. I want it finished before the day's up."

"As you wish." He picked up his wrench off the counter, pocketing it in the back of his pants.

As he was stepping out through the back door, Keiichi heard her sigh softly to herself. Deciding not to get involved, he shut the door behind him.

* * *

By the time Belldandy and Keiichi finished work, it was already pitch black outside. She was tempted to extend the daylight hours, but held back at the last minute. Her mood for the past week had already influenced the local weather in more ways than one; she would hold back from interfering further lest there be more unintended consequences. _I really have to get a hold of myself,_ she mused as she climbed into the sidecar.

They made their way back to the temple at a brisk pace. Aside from the streetlights, the only source of illumination present was the bike's single front headlight. Amidst the darkness surrounding her, Belldandy dwelt further on her thoughts – Keiichi remained silent as they rode past the city center. They hadn't spoken since lunchtime; he was too preoccupied with finishing the bike's modifications. More than anything, she wanted to continue the conversation they began then – there was so much more she _wanted _to tell him.

"_Do you really?"_ her conscience asked.

"_Of course!"_ Ever since that day by the sea, she felt more alive than she'd ever been before. With one of her biggest fears gone, she can finally focus on strengthening her relationship with Keiichi. _"Granted, with Urd and Skuld around…"_ She'd worry about that later – her sisters would eventually come around, like they always do. Right now, all that mattered was moving forward with her paramour. And the perfect chance to do so was just right around the corner.

"You alright, Bell?" Keiichi asked out of the blue.

"Yes, dear," she replied over the engine's steady hum. "Just wondering what everyone's up to back at home, that's all."

They rounded a particularly sharp corner at breakneck speed; Belldandy leaned towards the right, balancing out the bike. Her chest briefly brushed across Keiichi's back – her breathing became slightly flustered for a few seconds. While they've done this maneuver countless times already, this was first time it provoked _this_ reaction from her. In addition, she found herself enjoying the feelings invoked, from this as well as other instances of contact with him.

Before she could dwell further on the matter, they began slowing down – the ramp up to the temple's rear was coming up. In less than a minute, they were parked inside the open-aired garage. Keiichi offered to take her helmet – once it was off her, she shook her hair loose, breathing a sigh of relief once it was over. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Keiichi staring at her and laughed softly to herself. "Enjoying the view?" she coyly teased.

"Y…yeah…," he stammered, placing the helmets on the shelf.

Belldandy smiled at him in response and beckoned him over. Taking his hand, they slowly walked back to the house. She took the time to admire the condition of the temple's garden; even at night, she could still make out the fine details of the statues, cherry blossom trees, and koi pond. She leaned in closer towards him, closing the distance between both of them; her heart skipped a beat the moment they made contact.

"We're home!" Keiichi announced once they reached the door. He slid the door open, moving aside to allow Belldandy in first.

The house was unusually quiet – at the very least, Urd would be watching _Winter Storm _reruns in the tea room at this hour. All of the indoor lights were turned off, making it impossible to see beyond a few feet down the main hallway. Not a sound emerged from any of the rooms, even Skuld's own; the young goddess rarely ventured out of her abode at this time of night. There was also a notable absence of indoor heating – the thermostat was turned off, a problem Belldandy promptly rectified.

"Sis? Skuld?" she called out, slipping out of her shoes. "We're home." She flipped the light switch next to the shoe cabinet on, and gasped at once.

The hallway was littered with a plethora of parts, gears, and cogs, enough to make passage without proper footwear hazardous. Now that the lights were on, Belldandy caught a glimpse of stray sparks of electricity arcing between all of the metallic components. As she traversed the hallway, the pile grew larger, eventually reaching half her height once she got in front of Skuld's room. She gasped in shock again once she caught sight of the haphazard state of Skuld's room. All manner of parts, machinery, and furniture were scattered throughout the confines of the room. One pile in particular rumbled at regular intervals; upon closer inspection, Belldandy found a hand buried underneath an assortment of wires and plastic plates. She took hold of the hand and gave it a tug, pulling up Skuld in the process.

"Skuld, are you alright?" She placed her right hand on her sister's forehead and quietly whispered a simple healing spell.

Skuld's eyes fluttered open at once. "Big sister?" she groggily began, letting out a yawn. "What happened –." She quickly scanned the entirety of her room. "URD! WHAT DID YOU TO MY ROOM?!"

Before Belldandy could get a word in, Skuld bolted out of the room, knocking down another pile of parts in the process. From her spot, Belldandy could hear her younger sister push aside various obstacles as she made her way out to the porch. A loud _THUD_ soon followed, prompting Belldandy to rush outside immediately. Once outside, she saw _her_ Keiichi sprawled out on the porch, rubbing his forehead with his left hand, and Skuld angrily shaking her other sister back and forth. "URD, YOU DUMMY! WAKE UP ALREADY AND FIX MY ROOM!"

"Skuld! That'll be enough!" Belldandy forcefully commanded, narrowing her eyes slightly. "The both of you shouldn't be fighting like this."

As soon as Skuld ceased shaking Urd by the lapels of her shirt, the elder sister woke up, muttering several incoherent phrases. "My ears are still ringing," she complained, shaking her head. Opening her eyes, her expression immediately darkened. "Oh, it's you."

"Sis, what happened?" Belldandy asked.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself over. Skuld and I just happened to disagree over television rights, again." A crackle of lightning danced across Urd's fingertips. "Speaking of which…" She narrowed her eyes at Skuld. "You made me miss _Winter Storm_, you little brat."

"You didn't have to wreck my room like you did, Urd!" Skuld backed away, putting distance between herself and both her sisters. "Thanks to you, all of my stuff is ruined. I'll have to spend tomorrow just cleaning it all up."

"If you knew how to use magic properly, it would be done in less than a minute." Urd haughtily laughed, keeping her eyes on Skuld. "But then again, you don't know how to use magic properly, do you? Why, you couldn't even get a simple water spell right."

"URD, YOU DUMMY!" Skuld drew a pair of cobbled explosives out of her pockets. "TAKE THIS!"

It was at this point that Belldandy finally intervened, stepping in between both of her sisters. She quietly intoned a few words, conjuring up translucent barriers from both hands – the fields separated Urd and Skuld from each other. "Enough already. All of this quarrelling has already made enough of a mess here." She pointed at one of the piles in the hallway. "Can't the both of you just get along for one day?"

She briefly paused, taking a deep breath and calming herself in the process. "I'm going to go make dinner. It would be nice if everything was fixed by the time I'm done." With that said, she lowered the barriers and slipped away into the kitchen, closing the doors behind her. Belldandy quickly looked around the room and, satisfied that she was alone, let out a long sigh of relief.

Clearing her thoughts of everything else but the task at hand, Belldandy reached underneath the sink and brought out a chopping board. She silently summoned all of the ingredients for stir-fried rice to her, which she then began chopping up with a cutting knife. Beside her, the stove turned itself on and a wok settled into position on top of the blue gas-fueled flames. Seconds later, she twirled her right pointer clockwise, sending all of the ingredients flying into the wok.

_I'm getting better at this,_ Belldandy reflected as she brought out the stainless steel spatula. Over the past few weeks, she'd been practicing using spells without relying on incantations. Ever since her voice disappeared for one day some time ago, Belldandy made it a priority to be able to perform magic nonverbally, a feat most goddesses in her shoes rarely bother with. So far, her progress has, in her opinion, been admirable; she no longer had to vocally call out basic spells and incantations. Regardless, there were many aspects of her magic that still relied on vocal commands, which she hoped to rectify sooner rather than later.

The rice gradually turned a light shade of brown; a trail of smoke wafted upwards from the pan. _"Heavenly."_ Belldandy closed her eyes, allowing the aroma to fill up her nostrils. She sprinkled a dash of spices into the rice for good measure and tossed the mix several times, ensuring that the flavor would be evenly distributed. A few minutes later, she turned off the stove, poured the rice into a bowl, and sent both the spatula and pan into the sink with a soft _splash_.

"Keiichi, dinner's ready," she announced. Belldandy set the bowl down at the center of the table and snapped her fingers. Four smaller bowls, accompanied by chopsticks, floated out of the kitchen and arranged themselves on each side of the dining table. Another snap of her fingers summoned a tray carrying four teacups and her favorite porcelain kettle. In one smooth motion, she grabbed the kettle out of the air and began pouring tea for all of them.

Just as she finished, Keiichi entered the room, appearing none worse for the wear. "Thanks, Bell." He sat down next to her, picking up a pair of chopsticks.

"Are you alright, dear?" Belldandy asked, a hint of concern in her voice. In her haste to get away from the quarrel, she'd completely forgotten about his condition. "I'm sorry about Skuld, again. She's been more than a handful lately."

"Nothing more than a bruise or two. I'll be fine." He rubbed his right elbow before setting it down on the table. "You don't need to apologize for what she did. It's not your fault."

She sighed. "Somehow I feel responsible, regardless. It's hard to believe how much trouble my sisters can be. To be honest, I'm surprised I haven't really noticed up until now."

"Well…"

Belldandy shifted her eyes downwards.

"It's not like that!" he protested. "How do I say it…Bell, you tend to overlook mistakes to a fault. That's one of the things I like about you. But it's also been an inconvenience as well – you hardly admonish anyone, even when it's called for."

She kept silent for several seconds. "I guess I do," she finally answered. "Seems like I just can't bring myself to see fault, even though I should be able to."

"You worry too much," a familiar voice called out from the door.

"Sis!" Belldandy blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"One of these days…" Urd plopped down in front of the television and took a cup of tea. "The brat outdid herself today. Rubber band pistols, pinecone launchers, salt-powered RPGS….gah! Next thing you know, she'll be bringing the whole house down in one stroke."

"I heard that!"

The porch door flew open, revealing a very irate, fuming Skuld. "You were the one that started it." She wedged herself in between Keiichi and Belldandy, to the latter's consternation.

As Urd and Skuld continued arguing, Belldandy grew more irritated by the second. Not only were they drowning out every word she tried to get out, Skuld also remained where she was between her and Keiichi. To make matters worse, her younger sister continuously pestered Keiichi, to the point where he was forced to back off all the way to the opposite side of the table. She gripped harder on her teacup and her eyes began narrowing down.

Without warning, the last remnants of her patience snapped. "STOP IT ALREADY!" she forcefully screamed. Everyone in the room covered their ears.

She looked straight at Skuld with a stern expression. "Skuld, move aside. I'm sitting next to Keiichi."

Her younger sister's eyes began watering up. "B…but…big sis."

"Did I not make myself clear? Move. You've already caused enough grief for one day."

For several seconds, Skuld lingered in her spot, determined to hold her ground. Yet Belldandy refused to relent, her displeasure evident on her features. Seeing that there was no room left to maneuver, Skuld reluctantly backed away, ducking behind Urd. She peeked out from behind her eldest sister, gulped once, and turned towards the television.

Keiichi sat down next to her once again. He quickly glanced at Urd and Skuld before turning back to her. "That was rather harsh of you. Not that I don't appreciate it though." He took a bite of the fried rice. "Still," he whispered to her, "is everything alright Bell? You've been on edge all week. All these problems are getting to you more than usual."

"I don't know," she softly answered. Her features visibly relaxed as she took another sip of tea. "All of these changes...the things I feel…" Belldandy paused, closing her eyes. "Can we talk about this later, dear?"

He nodded. Behind him, Urd and Skuld were arguing about the documentary currently being shown. "We should go to that amusement park this coming Sunday. They're having a special Valentine's festival. It'll be a perfect…date…for us."

"Oh?" Urd turned an eye towards the couple.

"We're coming too! I can't leave big sis alone with –."

Belldandy looked at her younger sister straight in the eye.

Skuld clammed up at once and went back to watching the television. "Grr…," she muttered under her breath.

She took half a minute to compose herself, breathing in and out at regular intervals. "Yes, it would," she finally spoke. "Just the two of us, Keiichi, like it should be."

Her paramour turned beet red for a split second; he promptly gulped down a large amount of tea. "Sunday it is, then."

The rest of dinner passed by without incident, save for Urd and Skuld's occasional outbursts. Once everyone was finished, Belldandy gathered up all of the dinnerware and brought it back to the kitchen. There, she turned on the faucet and got to work cleaning up. It took the better part of half an hour, but she eventually finished; Belldandy closed the door behind her with a snap of her fingers and stepped outside to the porch.

To her joy, Keiichi was also there, watching the starry sky nonchalantly. She snuck up behind him and closed his eyes with both of her hands. "Guess who?" she whispered into his left ear.

"Belldandy." He reached behind him and lightly caressed her cheek, turning slightly red in the process. "You keep finding new ways to surprise me."

She sat down on his left, keeping her right arm draped around his back. "It's rather enjoyable, this…flirting…thing. I really have missed out on quite a bit." She mirthfully laughed. "You seem to be enjoying this as well, dear."

"Well…um…" Keiichi looked down at his feet for several seconds. "I do like the new you, Bell. It's just that my nerves aren't exactly taking this in stride. I mean, I'm still turning bright red whenever we get this close." He paused and turned to face her. "It's rather embarrassing, isn't it? I should be able to be more…confident…and more…assertive…with you. And yet I'm not."

"People can't change overnight." Belldandy nuzzled against the crook of his neck. "It'll take time. What matters is the desire to move forward into the future. Overcoming your fears and hesitations – you've come so far already." She let out a soft sigh. "Is it wrong of me to want…more from us?"

"Of course not," he reassured her, lightly brushing away a stray strand of her dark blonde hair. "It'll be difficult with Urd and Skuld around, though. Especially Skuld."

"Let me worry about that."

Neither one of them spoke for several minutes; they silently watched the stars, admiring how each one managed to shine brightly on this night. Belldandy, for one, felt quite content for the duration; there were no quarrels to be broken up or problems that needed fixing, only a well-deserved respite from all her worries. The cool night air also helped to lighten her spirit, in addition to spreading the fragrant plum blossom aroma all around their house.

"I've been wondering," Keiichi finally spoke up, "why now? We've been together for three years, and this is the first time you've ever done things like this. What's changed, Bell?"

Belldandy carefully contemplated her response. "All relationships have to move forward, don't they?"

"I guess so. It's only natural."

"There's your answer. If what we have is going to work, then we'll have to move forward sooner or later." She playfully pinched his left arm. "And I'd rather it be sooner than later, dear."

Keiichi smiled at her in response; she barely noticed any traces of nervousness on him this time around. She decided to take the initiative once again, drawing him into a tender, loving squeeze. Her heart quickened as warmth suffused throughout her body. _I'll never grow tired of this._

"Keiichi…?" she softly whispered in his ear.

"Yes, Bell?"

"The wish… If you could do it all over again, would you want anything different?"

"Maybe not have Urd and Skuld around," he replied. Breaking their embrace, he looked deep into her eyes, and for a brief moment, Belldandy felt his gaze pierce through her very being. "In all seriousness though, I wouldn't change a thing for the entire universe. This…this is us now, and I promise that I'll make it work no matter what it takes."

Belldandy leaned in, brushing her lips against his. She then closed the distance and kissed him as deeply as possible, lightly pushing the tip of her tongue into his mouth. To her elation, he promptly mirrored her actions, sending a shock down her spine. And as _their_ kiss went on, she felt the both of them slowly fall towards the porch, landing on the mahogany with a soft _thump_.

_I don't want this to ever end._

* * *

The _kiss_ Keiichi shared with Belldandy last night occupied his thoughts throughout the morning. For him, it was the most intimate experience with his paramour to date, made more significant by the lack of any form of external interference. As if on cue, her sigh of contentment rang through his ears, bringing him back to the moment they finally parted their lips. "Wow…," she breathed, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

He quickly banished the memory away; it wouldn't do for Skuld or worse, Urd, to see him in _that_ state. Keiichi was rather surprised that the two were conspicuously absent throughout the whole night. _Maybe Bell finally got to them,_ he mused. The former was currently sitting opposite of him, absentmindedly scooping spoonful after spoonful of Cheerios into her mouth. As for Urd, she was still in her room, snoozing away the better portion of the morning.

"Keiichi, breakfast is almost ready."

He could smell the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen – a mix of ginger, garlic, and peppers. His mind ran wild with the possibilities of today's breakfast item – perhaps a steak, or maybe another serving of yesterday's fried rice. _It's best to just wait and see. Bell's cooking always manages to surprise me._

With nothing else better to do, Keiichi reached for the newspaper and flipped over to the classified section. He glanced quickly through most of the listings; most of them detailed real estate offers or product adverts. The jobs section, however, had an unusual amount of listings for this time of year; it occupied three pages alone. One particular listing caught Keiichi's eye immediately.

**WANTED: Mechanic with considerable proficiency in motor vehicle repair and maintenance. Part-time job. High pay. If interested, contact: Nekomi Antique Motor Museum (*****************)**

It took Keiichi several moments to process the entirety of the advert. For one, it seemed too good to be true – Nekomi has its fair share of skilled mechanics. The job could have simply been offered to any one of them without relying on adverts. Furthermore, considering how easy it was to spot in the papers, the job might have already been taken.

Before he could dwell on the matter further, Belldandy came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of breakfast items. One of the offerings was a pepper-grilled steak, accompanied by stir-fried vegetables. "What do you think?" she asked as she placed the remainder of the fare on the table.

"I haven't had a steak in a while. You shouldn't have." He folded up the newspaper and placed it behind him.

"I just felt the urge to make one this morning." She warmly smiled at him, sitting down directly to his left. "Thought you might like it. Am I wrong?"

He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Definitely not."

Across the table, Skuld stared at both of them in shock, dropping her spoon into her cereal bowl. "Kei-ichi…" She drew a miniature Skuld bomb out from underneath her green shirt. Just as she was about to lob it, Belldandy shot a displeased look in her direction. Grumbling, she reluctantly made the explosive disappear back to where it came from.

"It's delicious, as always," he complimented after swallowing the first bite. "At this rate, you're going to completely spoil me. There's really no reason for us to eat out now."

She simply responded by snuggling him, causing his pulse to quicken. As breakfast continued on, she occasionally stole a bite of food from his plate, giving him a sly smile in return every single time. _She's becoming bolder by the day._ Belldandy even offered him her teacup when his came up empty - Skuld was visibly fuming from her seat.

Once he was done, Belldandy whisked away all of the empty plates and disappeared into the kitchen. Her singing was soon accompanied by the sound of rushing water. Before long, Skuld followed her as well, but not before sticking her tongue out at Keiichi. "I hate you!" she boldly declared before slamming the door shut.

With nothing else left to do, Keiichi made his way out to the telephone in the hallway, taking with him the job advert in the newspaper. He quickly dialed the listed contact number. Several drawn-out second passed by as the dial tone repeated itself through the phone's speakers. He could also hear the static in the background as well.

"Nekomi Antique Motor Museum, how can I help you?" the other end of the line finally answered.

He spent the next few minutes explaining his situation in detail – that he was interested in the job and that he had all the necessary qualifications for it. To his relief, the job was still available – no one had called in so far. "We'll need you to come in this Saturday, though. Will you be available?"

"Of course."

"Excellent. We'll see you then." The line promptly went dead.

Keiichi gently placed the receiver back into its dock. Staring into the mirror, he gave himself a congratulatory smile. The payout from the job was substantial enough to allow him to get a proper gift for Belldandy on short notice. Better yet, he wouldn't have to resort to digging into their savings – while at a comfortable level, he didn't want to risk being shorthanded in case an emergency occurred, which, with Urd and Skuld around, was more than likely to happen.

Soon enough, Belldandy met up with him in the hallway. She had changed out of her regular clothes into a new set – a light blue shirtwaist dress with white sleeve edges and collars, complete with a light brown belt. "What do you think?" she asked.

He gulped, wiping away droplets of sweat from his forehead with the back of his right hand. "It…it looks great on you, Bell."

Belldandy's cheerful expression was instantly replaced by one of concern. "Are you alright, dear? I'm not being too much of a bother, am I?" She gently wiped away the few remaining droplets of sweat on his forehead.

"It's just my nerves again. I'll be fine." He grabbed his jacket off the table. "We should get going, or else we'll be late."

Despite his reassurances, Belldandy continued to fret over him as they walked to the garage – she even insisted on picking up his helmet for him. She also made it a point to help him move the motorbike out onto the road, instead of waiting at the front like she usually did. Eventually, she settled down once they were on the road; aside from glancing at him at regular intervals, she spent most of the commute watching the scenery pass by.

Upon arriving at Whirlwind, Chihiro immediately put the two of them to work; she gave Belldandy a set of ledgers to update and had him help her disassemble an engine. "Amateur repair work," she complained, struggling to remove a bolt. Several dents and burn marks were scattered all over the surface. Most of the bolts had chipped heads, making their removal all the more troublesome.

The task took a better portion of the morning, and by the time they were done, Keiichi felt quite exhausted. Chihiro had disappeared off, taking with her the usable parts of the engine. He was left alone with the excess – a sizable pile of chipped bolts and dented plates, all of which had to be taken care off. And so, he spent several minutes putting all of the parts into an empty cardboard box, taking care not to drop any onto the floor.

As he was placing the filled box down at the back of the store, Chihiro reappeared, looking worse for the wear. "Are those the leftovers?" she asked, pointing at the box.

"Yes. Want me to leave them there?"

"For now. I'll figure out if any of them can be saved later today." She grabbed the nearest water bottle on the shelf, taking a long drink.

Keiichi waited for her finish. "Do you mind if I go out for a bit? I need to take care of some errands."

"What kind of errands?"

"It's personal."

"I see." Chihiro placed the bottle back on the shelf. "Sure, why not. I'm sure Bell-chan will appreciate whatever it is you end up getting her." She gave him a sly wink. "I won't dock this out of your pay…this time. Come back when you're done."

Before he could say anything in response, she'd already disappeared – the door to the front of the store swung shut behind her. Keiichi changed out of his overalls, stuffing them into his locker, and cleaned up his hands before leaving out the back. Seconds later, he was off on his bike, cruising at a brisk pace through downtown Nekomi.

Twenty minutes later, he found himself in the shopping district, walking past a number of confectionary outlets. Every single shop he passed by was offering discounts on chocolates, ranging from pocket-sized boxes to gigantic gift baskets. He spent a fair amount of time at each one, carefully looking over all of the offerings before moving on.

At one particular store, Keiichi was busy browsing through a refrigerated shelf when a familiar voice called out to him. "Senpai? What are you doing here?"

He turned around and spotted Sora at the store's entrance – the entry bell chimed at her recent arrival. "I'm looking for something suitable for Belldandy. But it's proving harder than I thought – none of these chocolates seem right for her."

She walked over to him and studied the selection. "I can see why. White Day isn't for another month."

"Speaking of which, I thought you'd already be set for this year. Not making your own chocolate this time around?"

"I…well…" Sora's cheek turned a bright shade of red. "I'm probably going to end up buying a box. It would save me a lot of trouble and, well, I think he might appreciate it a bit more."

"I see." Keiichi continued browsing through the chocolates, picking up a white box from the top shelf. "Finally, white chocolates. First set I've found today."

Sora quickly glanced at the package. "Belldandy-senpai would definitely love those."

He paid for the chocolates at the register. "I have to get back to work," he told Sora. "Hope you find what you're looking for."

* * *

For the first time ever, Belldandy soaked her feet in the koi pond's crystal blue waters. She couldn't help but wonder why she never bothered to do so before now – it was by far one of her most relaxing experiences to date. The waters provided some relief from the heat; the sky was completely absent of clouds today. She sang to herself, allowing her voice to fill the entirety of the garden with a moving, clear serenade. Across from her, the plum tree continued to burst into bloom as her singing continued, releasing a fragrant aroma all around.

_If only Keiichi could be here now._ He'd left a couple of hours ago, leaving her at the house by herself. "Sudden part-time job. I'll see you later tonight, Bell," he told her before he rode off. She was tempted to follow and spy on him, but held back at the last minute – Keiichi wouldn't be happy with her if he found out. She'd settle for asking him about it later tonight – whether he answered her or not would be another matter.

Her thoughts wandered elsewhere, eventually settling on her experiences during Peorth's first arrival. In retrospect, Belldandy didn't appreciate her counterpart's attempts at 'seducing' Keiichi throughout her stay – she wondered why she didn't assert herself more forcefully at the time. _And yet she was right._ She was, and still is, holding back on a very significant part of her relationship with him. _Is it still too soon? Can I ever tell him? What would he think of me once he finds out?_ She closed her eyes and whimpered, allowing her feet to sink deeper into the pond.

"Big sis?" Skuld sat down next to her. "Is everything alright?"

"Skuld." She composed herself, banishing all traces of her earlier worry. "I'm fine, sweetie. Just thinking about the past, that's all."

"You should come inside. _World's Greatest Inventions_ is about to come on, and I don't want to watch it by myself again." Her younger sister tugged at her sleeves.

She kept staring at her reflection in the water. "I'd rather be alone right now."

Skuld's voice dropped an octave. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" She groaned in exasperation. "Why do you keep worrying over Keiichi all the time? He doesn't deserve to be with you at all, big sis."

"Skuld…"

"It's true!" She hopped down onto the pond's surface, turning to face her sister. "What has he done in all the time he's been with you? Nothing!"

Belldandy looked at her sister straight in the eye. "You know that's not true, Skuld."

"I still don't like him anyways! He…he…he's going to take you away!" Before Belldandy could react, Skuld crashed into her, sobbing profusely into her blouse. "I don't want to lose you, big sis! Especially not to _him_. HIM, of all people!"

Belldandy remained silent, unsure of what to say next. For the moment, she allowed her younger sister to continue crying her heart out. A part of her wanted to comfort Skuld then and there, to reassure her that she'll always be there for her no matter what. And yet she could not bring herself to say the words that would defuse the whole ordeal here and now, not without lying to herself.

"Skuld…," she finally spoke up. "I love Keiichi. There's no other way to say it. And there's nothing I wouldn't do to prove that I love him with all my heart. Even if it means…choosing between you and him."

Skuld was at a loss for words, her mouth agape in shock. She stopped crying at once, distancing herself from her sister. "Big sis…you really don't mean that, do you?"

"I do, Skuld." She straightened herself up. "I know that you've never approved of Keiichi. And maybe you never will. But I'm asking you to respect our relationship. Whether you like it or not, it's not going to end."

"I…I…"

"Please, for me." Belldandy reached out towards her sister, begging her to take her hand.

"I don't know…"

Before she could stop her, Skuld dove beneath the pond's surface, leaving behind a rapidly closing portal. Belldandy let out a long drawn sigh – she would have to talk to her younger sister again at some point in the days ahead. Getting her sisters onboard with the changes in her relationship was proving harder than expected.

Just as Skuld's exit portal sealed up, a familiar presence made itself known. "She'll come around. Or at least I think she'll get used to the idea, eventually."

"Sis!" Belldandy scooted over to her left, making space on the boulder she sat on.

Urd sat down next to her, keeping her back faced towards the pond. She took a long swig out of the bottle of Fallen Angel sake she brought with her. "Give her some time. Like it or not, the brat's very attached to you. Convincing her that nothing's going to change in respect to her relationship with you is going to take a lot work. And she's going to have to do some growing up of her own as well."

"I guess…" She waved her feet back and forth, allowing the water to flow past her toes, cooling them in the process. "What about you, sis? What do you think about all of this?"

"It's about time you dropped your passive stance on the matter," Urd answered her. "I'm glad to see that you're finally being honest with yourself." She paused, taking another drink out of the bottle. "Well, almost honest with yourself, anyways."

"What do you mean, almost?" Belldandy turned her head to the right just enough to view her sister's face. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Bell…" Urd placed the bottle on the ground, straightened herself up, and looked at her sister straight in the eye. "When are you going to tell him the truth?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She grabbed her younger sister by the shoulders. "Don't dance around the subject! You know exactly what I'm talking about. Heck, _Peorth_ knew about it – I suspect that was why she was trying so hard to help Keiichi the last time she was down here. The only person here who isn't remotely aware of the matter is Skuld, and only because she's too young to know."

"Sis…" Belldandy broke eye contact and turned back towards the pond, keeping her eyes downcast.

"Don't tell me that you honestly enjoy the way things are now." Her younger sister blushed furiously for an instant. "Bell…"

"It's not like that! I…I…"

"Bell, he has a right to know. It's been three years already. That might not seem like a lot of time to you, but for him, that's quite a while." Urd adjusted her seating until she faced the same direction as her younger sister. "Like it or not, he's being kept in the dark. And you owe it to him to let him know _why_ he's been acting the way he is for all this time."

"I can't tell him. It's...it's too soon. It's not the right time yet."

"Well, when are you going to do it then?" Urd forcefully countered. "A year from now? Two? Five? Ten? Are you going to wait until his deathbed to let him know what Yggdrasil did to him?"

She refused to answer the question, instead summoning a sphere of water to her left hand. She quietly uttered a string of incantations, molding the water into a lifelike model of _her_ Keiichi. "He can't know… He'll never think of me in the same way again." She gently rebuffed her sister's attempt at drawing her into a hug. "He won't forgive me, I just know it. And I can't bear the consequences of that happening."

Neither one of them said a word to one another for several minutes – both sisters stared deeply into the darkening waters of the pond. Around them, the wind began to pick up, tossing plum blossom leaves up into the air. Urd finally broke the silence. "You don't trust him after all."

"That's not true!" she protested, slamming her fists into the rock beneath her.

"You don't! If you did, you wouldn't have a problem telling him this when he gets home."

"That's not fair, sis." Her eyes began watering up. "I'm…I'm not ready yet."

"By the time you're ready, it might already be too late." Urd placed her left arm around her younger sister. "Bell, is it really worth risking everything?"

Belldandy closed her eyes, letting out a long-drawn sigh. "I can't… Not yet…not yet…"

Urd stood up, picking up her bottle as she rose. "Seems like I can't convince you otherwise." She held out her hand – her broom shot out of the house before coming to a rest on top of her open palm. "It's your decision, Bell. Just be prepared to deal with whatever comes out of that." In one smooth motion, she boarded the broom. "Well, I'm off. Going to go see what Keiichi's up to today. Later!"

Urd took off into the sky in a rush, stirring up a gust of wind in her wake. Belldandy coughed, having inhaled a significant portion of the dust cloud. She watched her sister fly off, waiting until she was out of sight.

She let her tears fall freely, sobbing at regular intervals. As each one fell into the pond, ripples expanded from each point until the whole surface became disturbed, distorting all reflections.

* * *

"Thank you, please come again," the saleswoman bid Keiichi goodbye as he walked out of the store.

Keiichi took a moment to pocket his purchase – a sealed purple rectangular jewelry case – before walking down the shopping district's main thoroughfare. The whole area was completely crowded; several people brushed past him, leaving little room to maneuver. Several couples were present, each completely absorbed in their own private world – some took the time to window shop at the various boutiques, while the rest slowly made their way down the street.

A gust of wind swept over him, rustling his jacket as it passed by. He closed his eyes, feeling the breeze envelop every last bit of his face. As quickly as it arrived, the wind died down, and the surrounding air suddenly became warmer. Keiichi opened his eyes, and was immediately flabbergasted by the sight before him.

Urd was hanging upside down from a nearby lamppost – her hair stretched down almost to the pavement. A large number of people in the vicinity stared at her, unsure of what to make of the situation. One woman dropped her groceries in shock.

"Hi!" She dropped down to the pavement, flipping herself upright as she fell. She took a moment to straighten out her hair, sweeping stray locks behind her.

Keiichi swiftly approached her, ignoring the puzzled looks directed towards him. "Urd, what do you think you're doing? Do you want to be the main story on the 6 o'clock news tonight?"

"Relax, Keiichi. They'll forget about this soon enough." Urd pointed at the crowd behind her. "See, they're already leaving. In ten minutes, my little stunt will be nothing more than an afterthought."

"Well, in that case…" He turned to leave, only to be stopped by a hand on his right shoulder.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"Home." Keiichi broke away from her grasp and briskly walked away, only to have Urd sidle up next to him.

"Aww, don't be such a spoilsport." She pouted at him. "I only came here to check up on you. Bell's been worried sick about you all morning."

Keiichi turned his eyes towards her. "She is?"

"Would I lie about something like that?" Keiichi narrowed his eyes at her. "Okay, okay, maybe my track record hasn't been stellar. But, really, there's no reason for me to gloss anything over now, especially considering what you two have been up to all week."

"What…what do you mean?" Keiichi's face turned beet red.

"You know what I'm talking about. Your 'alone' time. Don't think that I haven't noticed the two of you sneaking off to be by yourselves. It's actually rather bold of you – I didn't think you had it in you to make my sister swoon like that."

"You were spying on us?"

Urd broke out into a sheepish grin. "Well…not exactly…" She wiped the smile off her face in an instant, regaining her playful demeanor. "But I'm getting off topic. What were you doing before I ran into you?"

"That's none of your business," he answered. "You're just going to end up spoiling it again, like you always do."

"Since when have I ever ruined the mood between you two? If I recall, it was because of me that you even managed to confess your feelings to Belldandy back then." She chuckled, giving him a pat on the back. "I'm here to help, remember?"

"Yeah…help." He shook his head in resignation. "Well, I don't need help with this. You can go back home now; I'll be on my way as soon as I find my bike. Speaking of which…" He fished out his keychain from his left pocket, "I'd like some more time for myself, if you don't mind."

"As you wish," Urd waved him off. She glanced downwards, muttering to herself.

Keiichi turned the ignition, causing his bike to start up with a loud _VROOM_. As he fastened the helmet's straps around his chin, Urd called out to him. "Hey, Keiichi."

"What is it?"

Urd opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she shook her head, closed her eyes, and let out a sigh. "Nothing. I'll see you when you get back."

For a brief moment, Keiichi was tempted to press the issue further; Urd hardly held back when giving any form of advice. He dismissed the notion, however, and took off in the bike, leaving the goddess behind. _It probably wasn't important anyway._

* * *

When dawn broke, Belldandy got up at once, tossing aside her futon in a hurry. Instead of conjuring up a change of clothes, she opened her dresser, digging through the contents frantically. After several minutes of searching, she finally found her icterine blouse and sandy brown midi skirt, the same set of clothes she wore on her date in the park. She physically changed into those clothes, taking care not to get her hair caught up within the blouse.

Satisfied that her clothes were in order, she walked over to her dresser and picked up her hairbrush. She sat down in front of her mirror and got to work straightening out her hair. Although she could have simply used her powers, Belldandy felt compelled to actually perform the task. _I want him to see it._ A part of her wanted to show off the effort she put into making herself look _perfect_ for him. Every single kink she managed to remove greatly increased her satisfaction. _For him, nothing less than perfect is acceptable._

When she finally placed her hairbrush back down, her hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, flowing smoothly down her back. Smiling at her reflection, she brought out her strawberry lip gloss and carefully traced it across her lips until every single spot was covered. Once she was done, she inspected her handiwork; every single detail of her face was nothing less than stellar. A surge of pride swelled up within her. Satisfied with her handiwork, Belldandy got up and snapped her fingers, tidying the rest of her room in an instant.

The rest of the household was still asleep. As she walked past Keiichi's room, she could hear him roll around in his futon. Silently, she slid the door open by a hair's breadth, enough for her to take a peek into his room. She could clearly make out his figure amidst the darkness in the room; he was still snoozing through the morning. _He's so cute like that,_ she thought to herself. _Maybe…_ An image of her spooning against him rushed to the forefront of her thoughts, causing her to blush furiously. Suppressing the squeak about to escape her lips, she quickly slid the door shut and rushed off to the kitchen.

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur for her; Belldandy hardly recalled preparing breakfast for everyone. She could barely remember the things she said to Keiichi as they ate breakfast in the tea room. Even the kiss she gave him on the cheek after he was finished faded into the background. By the time her faculties returned to her, Urd and Skuld were already awake and bantering with each other over television rights.

"It's my turn to watch _Megafactories!"_ her younger sister protested. "You already got to watch the _Winter Storm_ marathon last night."

"Last night was last night. Today is another story." Urd held onto the remote, waving it back and forth. "You're going to have to _earn _the right to watch, just like always."

Belldandy sighed and got up to leave; she had no desire to be in the middle of their latest contest. As she shut the door behind her, she caught a glimpse of Skuld producing a deck of cards out of thin air. A smile crept across her face; her sister was finally starting to apply herself more seriously in improving her magic.

"All set, Bell?" a voice called out from behind her.

"Keiichi!" Belldandy turned around and found him waiting for her, all dressed up for their date. She gave him a brief kiss on the lips.

"Of course. Let's go, before my sisters realize where we're off to." She slung her left arm around his right and led him outside of the house. She could feel his pulse quicken through their contact, and giggled.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

She beamed at him. "Can't you tell?"

She helped him push the Beemer out to the side road. As Keiichi mounted the bike, she slid behind him, adjusting her seating until she was secure on the seat. "B…Bell, what are you doing?" he asked her.

"Taking a ride with you, of course. I haven't had the chance to do this in a while." She leaned in closer, stopping just short of resting her head on his shoulders. "Why? Do you want me to get back in the sidecar?"

"Well…no…" He shifted slightly in his seat, rolling his shoulders back.

"Then let's be off, darling."

Keiichi nodded, turning the clutch to full throttle. They took off down the road at full speed; Belldandy shrieked at the sudden acceleration. She recovered momentarily, and promptly clutched her boyfriend tighter. As they raced down the mountain road, the wind continued to whip around them, causing her hair to float behind her. Feeling bold, she decided to nuzzle against the left nook of Keiichi's neck.

"Go faster!" she yelled over the engine's roar.

Keiichi complied at once, accelerating the bike to breakneck speed. Belldandy let out a _whoop_ as they rounded a curve. She turned to her left and saw the town pass by in a blur – all of the details blended together. Around her, the wind rushed by fast enough to suck all the heat away, leaving her feeling rather cold. Fortunately, the road remained smooth – the bike hardly bounced throughout the trip.

When they finally arrived at the amusement park, Belldandy nimbly hopped off her seat and banished her helmet away, revealing the entirety of her hair. She shook her head several times, scattering her hair down behind her. Stealing a glance behind her, she saw Keiichi visibly blush at her current appearance. She laughed and smiled at him, beckoning him over.

There were quite a few people waiting in line at the entrance gate. Many of them were couples, eager to partake in the Valentine's festivities being held here. As she passed through the crowd, their emotions and desires – a young girl's anticipation of her confession to her boyfriend, a married couple's desire to rekindle their romance, among many others – washed over her. Each experience resonated with her; she too, wanted today to be memorable. Here, she can _truly_ be herself in front of Keiichi – no outside expectations, nobody constantly watching over her shoulders, and _certainly_ no interference from her sisters.

_Truly yourself, Bell? Aren't you forgetting the one thing you're keeping from him?_ She quickly dismissed the thought – there would be time for that later. _Much later._ Belldandy finally arrived at the ticket booth and bought two all-day passes, thanking the attendant as he handed back the change. She pushed her way back through the crowd and found Keiichi waiting for her at the gate. She allowed him to take her hand, and together they entered the park.

Inside, the Valentine's festival was in full swing. Balloons of all sizes, shapes, and colors lined the main thoroughfare. All of the park attendants were dressed for the occasion; most of them sported candy-themed costumes. In addition, specialty booths offering both games and souvenirs occupied all of the available space along the paths.

She stopped in front of one of the booths on a whim. "Let's go in here," she declared, dragging Keiichi with her. Inside was a shooting range equipped with moving targets at multiple distances and air rifles.

An attendant dressed in a red and white pinstripe suit greeted her. "Would you like to try your hand at this game, miss? Three tokens for a game. Win a prize if you hit all the targets!"

Belldandy nodded and handed over the tokens. She picked up the closest rifle, inspected it, and aimed at the targets. When the bell sounded, she began firing in rapid succession. As each shot went off with a _BANG_, a target would fall back out of sight – she perfectly landed every single shot she made. All eyes were on her; Keiichi paid rapt attention to her focused, steady demeanor as she fired off the last shots. Once the last target fell, she calmly placed the rifle back down on the counter.

She looked over her shoulders back towards Keiichi. "That was fun."

"I didn't know you liked these sorts of games, Bell."

"Me neither. And that was my first time using a rifle as well."

The booth's attendant handed her a stuffed panda off the top shelf. "How cute!" Belldandy gave it a squeeze. The doll would be a nice addition to her room. She carried it with her outside of the booth, with Keiichi following behind.

Once outside, Belldandy searched the area for a suitable mirror; as much as she liked the panda, she didn't want to have to carry it around with her all the time. It took her a minute to find a reflective window at the corner of the park's main street. She made sure that no one was looking her way before tossing the stuffed doll through the window, sending it back to her room.

"What do you want to do next?" Keiichi asked her once she was finished.

She spun around and smiled at him. "I'll let you decide. I shouldn't be the only one having fun today."

He took her hand and led her further into the park towards the main attractions. Belldandy took the opportunity to sidle up next to him, holding him as closely as possible. To her delight, Keiichi didn't tense up at all despite their proximity; he was getting better at controlling his nerves. He even reciprocated her gesture, placing his left arm around her.

By the time evening came, Belldandy was ready to call it a day. They had spent the afternoon on every single ride in the amusement park, including the roller coaster, where Keiichi nearly threw up his lunch. After he had recovered from the ordeal, she'd challenged him to a go-kart race; he won by the skin of his teeth. They even took a ride through the park's Tunnel of Love; the both of them were flushed in embarrassment throughout the whole trip.

They decided to have dinner at The Gorgeous Rose, a nearby tavern. The interior was dimly illuminated, making it difficult to see beyond a few feet. A number of oak tables and chairs took up the majority of the floor, accompanied by private booths located next to the windows and on the edges. Almost every single table and booth was occupied; all of the waiters were busy rushing back and forth across the floor, taking and delivering orders. The bar itself was no less hectic; drinks flowed out of the taps at a furious pace, and were rapidly guzzled down by the patrons there by the pint. Several photographs of previous patrons lined the walls, each one accompanied by a brief description of their visit.

They took their seats at the last booth in the corner; a waitress handed them the menus before departing. "We haven't had dinner outside in a long time," Keiichi said once they were alone.

Belldandy laughed as she recalled the incident. Keiichi had won a free dinner for two at the Koenig Hotel several years ago. Unfortunately, thanks to Urd's meddling, they never got to enjoy their evening out; they ended up having their date at home instead.

"So this is your way of making it up to me, dear?" She flipped through the menu, stopping at the main course listings.

Before he could answer, the waitress came back with two pints of Guinness. "Compliments of the house. Can I take your order?"

She decided to order a plate of fish and chips, while Keiichi settled on having a sirloin steak. The waitress jotted down their orders in a hurry and promptly departed, leaving the two of them alone once again. "You were saying, Keiichi?"

He took a long drink of the Guinness. "I suppose you could call it that. We've never had dinner where you didn't cook up until now. It's a nice change of pace."

"But I don't really mind having to cook all of the time. In fact, it's one of the things I enjoy the most – well, next to being with you." Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

She decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. As the minutes passed by, they reminisced about all of their experiences over the past year. When they finally arrived at the 'love' incident, Belldandy's cheeks blushed profusely; she still remembered the intense shock his words gave her. Keiichi, on the other hand, tried his best to avoid looking at her. "I didn't mean to knock you out, Bell!"

She mirthfully laughed. "I know, dear, I know. And I heard the words you said to me then. It was…beautiful. I was quite touched – your feelings were so strong."

Several seconds passed by as Keiichi struggled to find the proper response. "Still, I should have handled it better," he finally spoke. "They wouldn't have had a reason to do what they did if I'd only…"

"Shh…it's okay." She placed her right forefinger on his lips. "You wouldn't be you if you'd acted differently."

They both smiled warmly at each other. Suddenly, Keiichi reached into his jacket and brought out two boxes wrapped in red wrapping paper, placing them on the table. He handed both of the boxes over to her. "Happy Valentine's, Bell."

Belldandy started with the larger gift, carefully peeling away the wrapping paper. Underneath was a box of white chocolate hearts. Putting it aside, she unwrapped the other gift, revealing a purple jewelry case. She opened it at once and found a necklace waiting for her. It was made out of pure white gold and had a circular locket at its center. Flipping the locket around, she saw the engraving on the reverse side of the locket – _Together Forever_. As she brushed her fingers across the lettering, a burst of warmth rushed through her hands.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, gently caressing the necklace's chain. She took a moment to fasten it around her neck. "You really know how to get me all weak in the knees, dear."

Keiichi turned bright red. "Well…I… It's my way of letting you know how much you mean to me. I wouldn't be where I am without you. You're my…how do I say it…my reason for being."

"And you mine." She reached out for his hand, gently clasping her right hand over his. "Know this – that you are, and always will be first and only in my heart. And I will never, ever, betray your trust in me." She then summoned her gift – a large, hand-wrapped box – on top of the table. "That's my promise to you." Tears trickled down from her eyes, splashing softly on the edge of the table.

He unwrapped her gift, uncovering a detailed portrait made out of dark chocolate; the scene depicted the two of them sitting together on the park bench by the seashore. "It must have taken you quite a while to make this."

"I had help." She twiddled her thumbs back and forth. "Don't forget that I can make teacups dance."

"It's a wonderful gift, regardless." Keiichi covered the chocolate back up. "No matter what happens, I'll never forget how wonderful today is. And I hope that more days like this come our way."

Belldandy nodded in agreement. _I'll make sure those days come, no matter the cost. That's my promise to you, Keiichi._


	3. Gungnir's Wings

**Chapter 3: Gungnir's Wings**

Trails of wispy smoke covered the entirety of the kitchen's ceiling and kept expanding as Belldandy continued with her cooking. She was busy chopping up zucchinis, eggplants, and tomatoes into discs of equivalent size; each chop was accompanied by a soft _thump_ of the cutting knife pressing against the cutting board. On the stove, a portion of tomato and bell pepper piperade seasoned with garlic, peppers, and salt simmered in the pot. She finished chopping the last zucchini and slowly stirred the mixture counterclockwise, taking a small portion of the sauce out once she finished stirring. _"More salt,"_ she concluded after tasting the piperade.

For the past hour, she'd been occupied with preparing the _perfect_ confit byaldi. The dish, in addition to being tonight's main course, also served as an opportunity for her to refine her cooking palette. In two days, she would be participating in the final round of a televised cooking competition, which will be televised live across the nation. The contest up until now had already taken their toll on her; Belldandy was a nervous wreck by the time she won the penultimate round three days previous. Despite that, she felt more motivated than ever before; it was the perfect opportunity to compete and excel in her favorite hobby. Not only that, the prize – five million yen – would go a long way to solving their long-term budget problems. _I'll finally be able to get a bike for myself – and race Keiichi down the mountain pass._ She swooned at the thought, nearly tipping over the pot in the process.

Belldandy quickly recovered and went back to preparing the vegetables. As she reached for the sliced eggplants, her fingers brushed across the cutting knife's razor-sharp edge. She drew her hand back in shock – a continuous, thin cut had formed across all three of her middle fingers. Glowing, translucent silver blood began seeping from the cuts, slowly marring her fingers.

Before she could cast a healing spell on herself, a gust of wind blew through the kitchen window. A curved white feather fluttered in, settling down on her injured hand. A soft, white glow emanated from the feather, enveloping her hands in white light. When the glow finally receded, the feather had disappeared, along with all traces of her earlier injury.

She blinked a couple of times, unsure of what to make of the situation. She gently traced her fingers across where the cuts used to be and found only unblemished skin; the spell had done its job perfectly. Images of a storm of white feathers surrounding three pairs of wings came unbidden into her mind; Belldandy gasped once she processed them. _Is she here?_

She gazed out of the window at the clear blue sky above, sighing softly to herself.

* * *

The one constant regarding his bike, Keiichi concluded, was 'routine' maintenance always escalating into a full-blown overhaul. For every single problem he discovered, three more would appear. It had gotten to the point where he seriously considered getting a new motorcycle – replacement parts for the Beemer were becoming scarcer by the month. Sooner or later, it would be next to impossible to keep it in workable condition. However, he was determined to delay that for as long as possible – the bike still meant a lot to him.

He was in the middle of rummaging through a box of spare parts when someone stepped up behind him. "I can help you with that, if you want," the person behind him said.

He turned to look over his shoulder. "Skuld."

Aside from her goggles, Skuld was wearing her usual casualwear – a white sundress with a black and white striped skirt. "Mou, Keiichi, you're hopeless." She walked over to the shelf at the back of the shed and brought down another box of parts. "You'll never finish fixing your bike at the rate you're going without my help. So let me give you a hand, alright?"

Keiichi nodded, and resumed adjusting the engine's mounting. As soon as Skuld found the part she was looking for, she brought out her toolkit and began tinkering with the Beemer's engine. They continued working in silence, each preoccupied with the task at hand. At regular intervals, he caught Skuld stealing glances at him, only to shy away as soon as she noticed him looking her way.

"I don't understand you at all," she finally spoke.

"Hmm?" He twisted another bolt into place.

"You're a nervous wreck around my big sis all the time. You can never make up your mind on the spot. And yet…" She paused, turning away from him. "She can't help but think the world of you. Why?"

"I…I don't really know how to answer that."

"It isn't fair at all!" She dropped the wrench she was holding; it crashed on the floor with a loud _CLANK_. "I'm her sister. I had her first. And now you're going to end up taking her away from me. And then…and then…"

Keiichi got up, moved around the bike, and closed the distance between him and Skuld. The young goddess, however, ran away to the back corner of the shed. "…I'll end up being all alone," she cried.

"Skuld…" He stood there watching her, unsure of what to do next.

She spun around and faced him; streams of tears flowed from both her eyes. "I don't want to be alone! I can't deal with that! I…I…"

What she did next took Keiichi by surprise; Skuld barreled into him, sobbing profusely into his chest. She continued to cry her heart out for several minutes; his shirt gradually became soaked with her tears.

Skuld suddenly looked up at him; her brown eyes were still glistening from the tears. "I ha…." The words got stuck in her throat. She paused, taking a deep breath. "…I don't really hate you, Keiichi. I…I don't think I ever did."

"I'm not going to take her away, y'know." He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Nothing's going to change – she'll still be here for you."

"I know… I always knew – I just didn't want to accept it." She wiped her tears away. "Maybe…just maybe…I'll back off. It's what she would want, after all. And I can't say no to big sis."

Keiichi blinked several times in rapid succession – her response had caught him completely off-guard. _What's gotten into her? Skuld's hardly reasonable, even on her best days._ Her track record on these matters served only to further his doubts. _And yet…somehow I have a feeling things have changed._

Skuld's composure returned in full force; she was back to her usual cheerful self. "Don't think I've let you off the hook yet, Keiichi."

A gust of wind blew into the shed, carrying a flurry of white angel's feathers along with it. "My, my. My little girl's all grown up," declared an alluring feminine voice from outside.

Keiichi turned around towards the source of the voice, and was immediately stricken by what awaited him. He was absolutely certain that the woman in front of him was not from this world; her style of dress gave her away as a goddess. She wore a snow white turtleneck sweater seamlessly attached to a billowing sky blue knee-length skirt with gold borders lining the bottom edge; her skirt featured golden plant sprouts growing from the border linings, while the upper bodice was lined with two continuous curves extending from her shoulders all the way to her hips. Her white boots, embellished with an intricate golden wing pattern on the sides, extended all the way to her knees; not a single centimeter of skin remained exposed anywhere along her legs. She was sporting the most beatific smile on her face that he'd ever seen; not even Belldandy's came close to hers. Her long dark brown hair flowed smoothly down her back and covered a good portion of her shoulders; she let it hang freely without any adornments.

Out of the corner of his eye, Keiichi could see Skuld staring at the mysterious goddess in shock – her mouth remained agape and her arms hung listlessly at the sides. Slowly, she regained the use of her voice. "M…Mo…Mother!" she finally exclaimed.

"Eh?" It took a few seconds for Keiichi to fully process her words. "Eh!"

"Oh, Skuld! You've gotten bigger since I last saw you." She clasped her hands together in excitement and made her way over to her daughter. She then patted Skuld gently on the head. "Just kidding."

He could hear a flurry of footsteps coming from the back door; peering around the shed's wall, he saw Urd and Belldandy running towards him. Both of them stopped just shy of colliding into the newcomer; Urd panted in exhaustion for a few seconds after she came to a halt.

"Ansuz?" Urd asked. "It can't be…"

Ansuz turned around to face the pair and smiled at the both of them. "Urd! It's good to see you, dear. Since I last saw you, you've gotten a lot taller." She raised her right hand slightly above Urd's head.

Urd winced at her. "I haven't grown an inch."

He turned to look at Belldandy, and was surprised to see her furiously blushing a shade of pink all across her face. Her eyes darted back and forth between her mother and him. She also twisted her left foot around, grinding circles into the ground beneath her.

Without warning, Ansuz spun around and leaned closer towards him – an inch of space separated them. "So, you're the infamous Keiichi Morisato." She gazed deeply into his eyes – Keiichi's mind blanked out as he saw his reflection in her cobalt-blue irises. Time seemed to slow down for him – he could barely make out Belldandy's words in the background. And just as quickly as it began, Ansuz broke eye contact with him with a blink. "I see. I understand now." She smiled brightly at him.

Keiichi blinked twice, scratching the back of his head. "Could somebody please tell me what's going on?"

Belldandy dashed over to him at once, giving him a tight squeeze. She spent some time checking over his features, wiping away the sweat on his forehead, before turning to face her mother. "Mother! You're embarrassing him."

"Am I?" She cocked her head to the side, looking at her elder daughter in puzzlement. "Bell, darling, I'm just checking him out. There're a lot of rumors regarding him flying all around Asgard." Ansuz snapped her fingers; all of the feathers in the shed vanished in a flash.

"Asgard? You mean heaven?" he asked.

"Asgard, darling. If you're going to refer to our home realm, refer to it by its proper title – As-gard." She let out a long-drawn sigh. "You haven't told the poor boy all the details, Bell? After all this time?"

"Well…I…" Belldandy looked down at the floor. Her fingers twitched nervously back and forth. It took her a few seconds to compose herself; she resumed eye contact with her mother. "What are you doing down here, mother?"

Ansuz glanced around at everyone present before answering. "I suppose I should explain myself, then. But not here. Let's all go inside – I could use a cup of tea." Before anyone could object, she spun around and headed off towards the front door.

Urd and Skuld quickly followed her, leaving him and Belldandy alone in the shed. "Uh, Bell, what's going on?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure. Mother, she… it's probably best for us to hear what she has to say before making any conclusions." She took his hand and led him towards the back door.

* * *

Everyone was gathered around the table in the tea room. A kettle filled to the brim with Darjeeling tea sat in the middle of the table; a thin wisp of steam slowly escaped through the spout, vanishing as it rose towards the ceiling. Each person had a cup of tea in front of him or her; so far, Keiichi hadn't touched his, leaving it sitting next to his left hand. In the background, the clock continued to tick away, marking the passage of the afternoon.

"As expected," Ansuz said after taking a long sip out of her cup. "You've gotten much better at brewing tea. I feel a lot better now, dear."

In spite of the circumstances, Keiichi felt surprisingly at ease; his thoughts remained calm and orderly. Belldandy had sat down next to him and was now cozying up at his right side. She kept her eye on her mother, however; not once did she look at him ever since they entered the room. _I can imagine why._

"Well, I suppose you're all wondering what I'm doing here." Ansuz placed her teacup back onto the table. Urd and Skuld both nodded vigorously; Skuld, in particular, was having a hard time keeping still in her seat. "I'm overdue for a vacation, and I thought: what better way to spend it than with my daughters. After all, I haven't been able to check up on the three of you for years."

"Awfully convenient timing," Urd said, her voice tinged with skepticism. "If you wanted to check up on us, you could've just called."

Ansuz briefly glared at her stepdaughter; a spark of light flashed across her irises. She took another sip of the tea, calming down once she finished. "There's no substitute for a face to face meeting. You all of all people should know that."

"Sis has a point, mother," Belldandy said. "It's been years since we've been together as a family. Why now, after all this time?"

"I shouldn't have to explain it." Her expression softened; for a moment, Keiichi thought he saw a teardrop in her right eye. "But, if you insist: I want to make it up to all of you. I know that I've been busy with work for so long – busy enough to hardly be around at home. And we didn't really get to be a family when it mattered. So, now, I thought…" She trailed off, staring into her teacup.

"Mother…" Belldandy reached out toward her shoulder.

Ansuz's cheerful expression returned in full force. "So I'm here now! And I'm going to make every single minute count, starting right from this moment." She pointed her finger at the table and conjured up a bowl of vanilla ice cream, which she immediately handed over to Skuld.

Skuld eagerly dug into the confection with a spoon she conjured up on the spot. "Is daddy going to be visiting?" she asked in between bites.

"Uh, well…your father and I haven't spoken in a long time, sweetie. I still have no idea where he is, or when he's coming back to Asgard." Her eyes briefly glanced downwards; Keiichi barely caught sight of the shift. As for Skuld, her eyes drooped in resignation; she placed the bowl of ice cream back onto the table.

"What does she mean by that?" he whispered softly in Belldandy's ear.

"My parents are 'separated,' for lack of a better term," she quietly answered him. "They haven't lived together for centuries – for all intents and purposes, there're no longer married." He felt her body tense up through their contact points.

"I'm sorry."

She squeezed his hand in acknowledgement. "I've gotten used to it. Skuld, on the other hand…"

"Is that why –"

Ansuz turned towards the both of them; she looked directly at Belldandy while keeping an eye on him. "Bell, darling, what about you? Seems to me that you have something you're looking forward to. Details, dear – I want to hear all about it."

Belldandy's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "It's nothing, really. I'm competing in a cooking contest two days from now. It's going to be televised all around the country."

"A cooking contest?" Ansuz clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful, dear. I always knew you had it in you. You did take after my cooking lessons quite well, after all – aside from the time you nearly burnt down the kitchen trying to make the pot roast." She laughed, nearly keeling over backwards.

"Mother!" Her entire face turned beet red. Even Urd found it amusing; she covered her mouth, attempting to stifle her own laughter.

"I'm only joking, dear." She poured herself another cup of tea.

The next several minutes consisted of Belldandy, Urd, and Ansuz exchanging various stories; Keiichi remained silent throughout the period. Several of them were completely new to him – Ansuz's descriptions of the goddess' childhoods struck his interest. For instance, he had no idea that Belldandy was quite a mischievous prankster when she was younger ("Pinecone Snipe!" Urd called out, perfectly imitating her younger sister's voice). Nor was he aware of Urd's fascination with skydiving – she'd gotten into trouble quite a few times for diving straight into crowded areas.

Belldandy suddenly got up from her seat. "Oh my! I completely forgot about tonight's dinner." She quickly disappeared off into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.

Ansuz _tsk_ed. "My, my… She really hasn't changed at all." She finished her cup of tea and rose up as well. "It's been quite a day. Excuse me."

"Leaving already?" Urd asked.

"I certainly can't go about looking like this, can I?" She pointed at her dress. "Besides, if I'm going to be staying here for a while, I might as well put the room into order."

"Wait a minute." Before he could say anything else, Ansuz was already gone. _Gah! I forgot to tell her which room she could use._

* * *

To Belldandy's relief, the piperade was none worse for the wear – she'd left the mixture in the pot when came back into the house earlier. A snap of her fingers promptly reheated the piperade – steam slowly escaped from its surface, carrying with it a spicy aroma. She poured most of the mixture into a circular pan, taking care to smooth over the surface, and turned on the oven. As for the remainder, she scooped it up and placed it into a small bowl, to be used later once the dish was finished.

_Of all times, she chose NOW to visit us..._ Belldandy groaned in frustration, pressing both of her hands down on the counter's edge. Her mother's loose lips might end up causing her more trouble down the road. _Especially if she –._ She shook her head in denial, slamming her right fist into the counter with a _THUD_. The last thing she needed was her mother revealing _her_ secret to Keiichi – she'd already embarrassed her more than enough earlier.

Belldandy set the pan down directly in front of her and carefully examined the texture of the piperade. Satisfied with the results, she brought over the vegetables she cut earlier and began arranging them in a spiral over the mixture – each slice was mostly covered by another save for a crescent-shaped segment. She alternated between zucchinis, eggplants, and tomatoes; the end result was a colorful continuous clockwise spiral.

"That looks wonderful, darling," a voice commented directly behind her.

Startled, she kicked the counter with her left foot – her toes bruised a dark shade of purple. She glanced over her right shoulder. "Mother!"

Ansuz had already changed out of her previous attire into something more appropriate for a human. She was now wearing a long celeste blue sundress; the skirt extended past her knees down to the middle of her lower legs. Two white straps, each a centimeter wide, supported the dress on her shoulders, leaving a large part of her shoulders and neckline exposed. White angels' wings lined the skirt, while the upper dress sported a pattern of white feathers.

Her mother stepped up to the counter at once and examined the pan, taking a tomato slice out for a taste. "A little bit heavy on the salt, but otherwise, it tastes great. You've been practicing for some time, haven't you?"

"Yes." She picked up the pan, opened the oven door, and placed the pan inside. "Your recipe has no match after all, mother. I still remember how you used to make this for all us – you even let me help slice the vegetables."

Ansuz snuck a can of cola out of the fridge and opened it, taking a sip. "Want one, dear? You look like you could use a drink."

"I'd rather not be drunk before dinnertime." She summoned a glass over to the sink and poured herself a glass of water.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot all about that." Her mother chuckled. "Even with all of our powers, we get intoxicated by the strangest of substances – your cousin can't take a glass of tomato juice without getting tipsy in the process. Poor Thera…"

Inside the oven, the confit byaldi continued to cook; the vegetables began turning a light shade of brown. "Why are you really here?" Belldandy asked while examining the pan through the oven's window.

"You already know why, darling."

She frowned, rose back up to her full height, and faced her mother. "I'm not a little girl anymore – I can manage my own life now."

Ansuz took another sip of her cola. "Doesn't stop me from worrying over you, regardless. You're my daughter, and nothing's going to change that."

"Daughter… If we're going to get to that…" She dropped her glass into the sink. "You left us to our own devices. You were hardly ever at home. And when you were, you really didn't spend quality time with us at all – we had to beg for your attention."

"Bell…"

"Our caretakers raised us, not you! Where were you when we needed you, mother?" Her temper began flaring up. "Where were you when I needed a shoulder to cry on? When I needed advice? When I needed someone to look up to?" She clenched her fists – she could feel her nails digging into her palms. "I had to be mother and sister for Skuld, because you couldn't be there for her!"

Both of them remained silent for several minutes. In that time, Belldandy mulled over her previous words as their full meaning sank in. "I'm sorry," she finally spoke.

"No…I should be the one to apologize." Ansuz drew her daughter into an embrace, gently rubbing her back. "You're right, Bell – I haven't been a good mother to all three of you. I let everyone else do the job I was supposed to be doing, and didn't care for the consequences. And you have every right to resent me for it."

She parted from the hug, and saw her mother sniffle – a teardrop flowed out from her right eye. "Mother…I…"

"I'm here now, and I'm going to make it up to all of you, no matter how long it takes." Ansuz wiped away her tear, banishing all traces of her earlier discomfort. "So, about your…what is he to you now, darling?"

"Keiichi's my other half. I couldn't imagine spending the rest of eternity with anyone else." She paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Eternity…?"

Ansuz sighed. "I knew it…" She leaned her back against the counter. "He's not immortal. Eventually, you'll have to part ways with him, whether you like it or not."

"I know…"

"Do you really? Are you prepared for when that day comes around?"

"I'll have plenty of time to make peace with that. I don't want to think about it now."

"And what about 'that'?"

Belldandy's eyes shot wide open. She nearly lost her footing – a well-timed grab on the counter's edge saved her from crashing down onto the floor. "He doesn't need to know about that!"

Ansuz reached down with her left hand and pulled Belldandy back up. "He will, unless you intend to stay celibate for the rest of his life."

Belldandy shook her head in denial.

"It'll be better for the both of you if he knows what to expect. You know this, dear."

"It doesn't mean I have to acknowledge it," she muttered. "And who says we have to take 'that?' I could just elope with him and spend the rest of our lives at the farthest reaches of Vanaheim, away from everyone else."

"Belldandy!" Ansuz gasped, dropping her can of cola in shock. "You can't be serious!"

"I won't go through 'that'! I won't make him! I can't…I can't…" She began sobbing profusely into her hands. "I…I…what if I…" She suddenly found herself in her mother's arms again.

Ansuz gently stroked her daughter's hair. "Shh…it's alright, Bell. You don't need to be afraid."

"But–"

"Is that what this is all about? Have faith, dear." Ansuz brought her daughter to eye level and held on to both of her shoulders. "Have faith in your feelings, and have faith in him. Faith…is most important."

"Mother…"

Ansuz broke away and headed towards the back door. "I've said too much already." She conjured a pair of white sandals beneath her feet and slid the door open. "Just remember, how this ends depends entirely on you, dear. He'll know, eventually – and he'll likely react better if you were the one to tell him."

* * *

It had taken another half an hour for Keiichi to finish repairing his bike; Skuld's earlier assistance had fixed most of the problems. He was completely exhausted by the time he was done; he could barely walk out of the shed. With nothing else better to do, he ambled over to the porch, dragging his feet all the way. When he got there, he immediately collapsed on the mahogany floor with a soft _THUMP_.

He started at the ceiling for several minutes, unable to pick himself off the floor. The sound of flowing water coming from the pond prompted him to get up – he dragged himself over to the nearest mahogany pillar and sat against it. Turning towards the pond, he saw Skuld raising her hands above the water with her eyes closed. Beneath her, the pond's surface twisted and churned. A whirlpool formed and gradually grew in size until it covered the entirety of the pond.

"I did it!" Skuld exclaimed, opening her eyes.

She uttered another string of incantations, lowering her hands back down to her hips. The whirlpool began to shrink rapidly, eventually disappearing altogether. She smiled to herself and nimbly hopped off the rock she stood on.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie."

In a panic, Skuld twisted around and found her mother standing behind her, sporting a beatific smile on her face. "M-mom! I didn't see you there."

"You're finally using magic." Ansuz patted her daughter on the head. "And you're making great progress – you already have some measure of control over your spells."

Skuld's face turned a bright shade of pink. "It's nothing, really."

"Nonsense! We all had to start somewhere – even the best of us. There was a time when Bell couldn't get any of her spells right. She got better though, and so will you, sweetie. That's why we keep practicing. Speaking of which…" She eyed Skuld closely. "…I hear that you've finally gotten an angel."

"Yes, yes!" Noble Scarlet emerged from her back, stretching her wings out. "Her name's Noble Scarlet."

Ansuz smiled at the angel and closed her eyes. Seconds later, feathers burst out of her back and swirled behind her back. The feathers soon disintegrated, revealing a silver-haired angel with three pairs of wings. Each wing was longer than the full length of her arm and shimmered in the sunlight.

The new angel reached out to stroke Noble Scarlet's cheek. "Argent Dawn seems to approve," Ansuz said. Noble Scarlet smiled back in return.

Keiichi couldn't help but keep watching the exchange. Despite the fact that he'd been living among goddesses for over three years, their 'true nature' remained a mystery to him. Somehow, he'd never gotten around to asking any relevant questions regarding them.

"You seem to be taking this rather well," a voice said from behind.

Looking over his left shoulder, he saw Ansuz standing over him. "How did you…"

She walked over next to him. "May I?"

Keiichi nodded.

Ansuz promptly sat down next to him – she swung her legs over the porch's edge. She stretched her arms above her before speaking again. "As I was saying, you seem to be taking all of this rather well."

"When you've lived with goddesses for three years, you learn to accept the strangest of phenomena as part of your life. I doubt that there's anything out there that would surprise me these days." Ansuz raised an eyebrow. "No offense, of course."

"None taken." She turned back to look at her youngest daughter – Skuld was summoning spheres of water from the pond. "Tell me something, Keiichi. How do you truly feel about my daughter?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said." Her demeanor instantly turned serious – he could feel her gaze piercing _through_ him. "Are you truly in love with Belldandy?"

He took a moment to compose himself before answering. "I am."

"Are you certain of that?"

"Of course!" he said, a hint of consternation in his voice. "She's the whole world to me – there isn't anything that I wouldn't do for her. And I know she feels the same way about me – she's already made that clear more than enough times already."

Ansuz's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that. Despite your conviction, you're still only a mortal. There're going to be things that you can't help her with, no matter how hard you try." A streak of blue light flashed across her irises. "You've barely experienced the dangers we Asgardians risk facing every single moment. You think death's the worst of it? Try being psionically assaulted with your worst fears – your nightmares brought to life in front of you." His mind recoiled in horror as the relevant images flooded his mind. "Your very being torn apart piece by piece, and forcibly reassembled only to experience it all over again. Are you ready to face all of that with her?"

Keiichi could feel the anger and irritation rising within him, threatening to overwhelm all reason. "Who are you to say such things? You may be her mother, but that doesn't give you the right to marginalize our relationship. All of the trials and hardships Bell and I have gone through is testament enough to our commitment to each other." He rose up to full height. "So, I ask again, who are you to say such things about us?"

To his surprise, Ansuz laughed; she warmly smiled at him. "I was right about you, Keiichi Morisato. You really do care for her."

All of his animosity evaporated at once; he sat back down and leaned against the pillar. "Was that…was all of that really necessary?"

"I had to be sure." She scooted over next to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "And your reaction just confirmed all of my earlier impressions of you."

"I see…" He broke out of her grasp.

They both continued to watch Skuld cast spell after spell on the pond's water. The sky turned orange as the sun began to set below the horizon. With each passing minute, the air grew slightly colder; he was tempted to retreat back into the warm confines of the tea room. Yet he decided to remain where he was – there were so many questions he yearned to ask, and the person who could answer them was sitting right next to him.

"I'm going to eventually have to part from her, aren't I?"

Ansuz remained silent for several seconds, keeping her eyes on her daughter. "Yes…," she said with a touch of sadness.

"Wouldn't she be heartbroken then, I wonder? How would she move on afterwards? Would she be able to? Can she –."

Ansuz placed her right forefinger on his lips. "So many doubts and worries, all for her sake. No wonder she loves you so." She turned towards him, removing her finger. "The measure of a life is not measured in duration, but rather in quality. Wouldn't you agree?"

He shifted his eyes downwards. "If you look at it that way…"

"Don't be so glum." She gave him a pat on the back. "It's unhealthy for you, and it's ruining the mood."

Keiichi looked towards the pond and saw that Skuld had disappeared – he and Ansuz were the only two people left outside. "Six wings?" he asked.

"It's an incredibly rare manifestation. There are far more Asgardians with twin angels than there are with seraphs." Argent Dawn emerged from her back and floated down next to her. "She's been a very stalwart companion."

He took a closer look at the angel; her brown eyes perfectly matched her mistress'. "Are there any others with seraphs?"

"There was…" A melancholic smile crept up on Ansuz's face. She sighed and turned away. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Argent Dawn bowed before him and disappeared back into Ansuz, leaving behind shimmering white feathers which gently floated down to the floor. He picked up one of the feathers and found it warm to the touch. A strange calm passed over him – his worries and doubts vanished for an instant. _Are these her feelings?_

Before he could dwell further on the matter, the tea room's door slid open behind him. "Keiichi, dinner's ready," Belldandy called out from inside.

"Coming." He got up from the floor and headed inside. Ansuz, on the other hand, remained where she was – she continued to listlessly stare at the garden.

* * *

"Can we stop for a cup of ice cream, pretty please?" Skuld begged her while tugging at the hem of her blouse.

"Not now, Skuld. We still have several things to get before we're done."

Belldandy sighed as they continued walking past the greengrocers. Originally, she had planned on doing her shopping with Keiichi alone; they haven't had time to themselves ever since her mother arrived. Unfortunately, her mother had caught wind of her plans and insisted on accompanying them. "It's been ages since I've gone shopping in Midgard," she proclaimed as they left the temple. And to compound matters, Ansuz insisted on bringing Skuld along as well – she took every single opportunity to get her attention throughout the excursion.

The high street was abuzz with activity – an unusual amount for a typical weekday. Several people rushed pass her towards the central square, whispering in excitement amongst themselves. The storeowners she interacted with so far seemed more animated than normal – she managed to secure a bundle of discounts for all of her purchases.

Despite the festive atmosphere, her worries continued to dominate her thoughts – they shifted between her mother and Keiichi. On one hand, she wanted to just drag him away and kiss him senseless; every single fiber of her being _craved_ him. It would also give her the opportunity to broach on the secret – a minor part of it – with him; she _needed_ to gauge his reaction. On the other, she constantly fretted over her mother's ongoing stay. Thankfully, Ansuz hadn't revealed further details since yesterday; nonetheless, she swore to watch her mother like a hawk until she departed.

_Relax, Bell. What's the worst that could happen?_

"Everything alright, Bell?" Keiichi asked her.

She motioned him over. "I'm fine," she said once he was close enough. "I just wish we were alone."

"Maybe later?" He took her hand. "We could go off by ourselves after the shopping's done."

She squeezed his hand in acknowledgement. "The park, perhaps? Or maybe even a ride down the ridge – without the sidecar, of course."

A pink blush flared up on Keiichi's face for a split second. Belldandy giggled in response. _I'm going to need to work on that. Poor Keiichi…"_

Behind her, Ansuz continued to glance over the storefront displays. Occasionally, she would comment on a particular item. Her black denali sunglasses, which she bought from an optometrist earlier, were drawing an undue amount of attention; every single person they've passed by couldn't help but stare at her.

"She seems to be enjoying this," Keiichi said, pointing towards her mother.

"It's been a long time since she was down here. I think she just wants to enjoy herself for a change. Her work keeps her constantly busy." She looked back over her left shoulder and nearly gasped in shock – Ansuz was waving at a group of skateboarders. "Then again…"

"What does she do anyway?"

"She's the surgeon general. She's in charge of all of our medical affairs – research, implementation, the works." Belldandy paused to take a breath. "And she's also the director of Sigurd – our ruling council."

"I see." They turned right at the next corner. "No wonder she acts like she's in charge – it must come naturally to her."

She nodded. "Sometimes, though…I can't help but resent her for it. She was never really home – we only got to see her once or twice a week. And when she did come home, she usually brought her work back with her as well."

He gave her a quick peck on her right cheek. "You turned out alright though."

_Have I? _ Belldandy smiled at him. "That's nice of you to say, Keiichi."

A familiar figure pushed her way through the crowd ahead of her and came into view. "Kei-chan," she called out.

"Megumi? What are you doing here?" They both came to a stop. "Don't you have class today?"

"I needed a break, and I heard they were having a sale here, so, yeah." She waved at Belldandy and smiled. "Fancy running into you two here. Who would've thought–." She caught sight of Skuld and Ansuz. "Uh, who's that with Skuld. I haven't seen her before."

"Oh, that's my mother," Belldandy answered. "She's…um…in town to visit and…"

"Must be fun having Bell's parents staying with you, Kei-chan." Megumi patted her brother on the shoulder.

"Yeah…about that…"

"Oh, who do we have here?" Ansuz squeezed in between Belldandy and Keiichi. "I can already see the resemblance between you and her, Keiichi."

Megumi bowed her head in greeting. "I'm his sister, Megumi Morisato. Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

Ansuz smiled back. "Anya Engström." She offered Megumi her hand, which she promptly shook. "Why don't we all take a break from this?"

Ten minutes later, they found themselves sitting in a booth at Baskin Robbins. They each ordered a confection of their choice; Belldandy had gotten two scoops of vanilla ice cream for herself, and was now lazily taking it apart one spoonful at a time. Keiichi was sitting in between her and Megumi, glancing between Ansuz and his sister. Her mother tapped her fingers on the table in anticipation, keeping her eyes on all three of them.

"So you're a doctor?" Megumi asked her mother.

"Neurosurgeon, to be precise. It's a very demanding a career." She took a sip of water. "Had quite a few close calls – fortunately, nothing horrible happened."

"Is this your first time visiting Japan, ma'am? I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be fitting in rather well. Well, better than Belldandy did initially, anyways."

"Uh…" Belldandy began, only to be cut off by her mother.

"Good heavens, no! I've visited here often enough to fit in." Ansuz chuckled. "It's the reason why I suggested that Bell come here when she wanted to study abroad. Right, dear?" She looked directly at her.

"Um…you could say that, mother." Droplets of sweat ran down her forehead. At the rate her mother was going, she might eventually be forced to lie outright to along with the story. It was discomforting for her to watch her mother fabricate her background flawlessly; she'd never been good at making stories up, let alone lie.

"…and when I heard that she was living together with her…boyfriend, I just had to come over and see him for myself. And I must say, I'm quite impressed." Both Ansuz and Megumi shared a laugh between themselves.

She glanced over at Keiichi, and found him in a state of distress; his face was turning a bright shade of red. "Can we please talk about something else?" he spoke up.

"Aww, don't be like that, Kei-chan. It's all in good sport." Megumi pinched him on the right cheek. "Speaking of which, Keima and Takano asked me to check up on you."

"They did?" Keiichi let out a long-drawn sigh. "Couldn't they have just called me instead? It's not like I don't have a working phone."

"I've given up on understanding them a long time ago. Regardless…" She briefly tapped her fingers on the table. "I'll call them tonight and let them know that everything's okay. And also to remind them to watch the show tomorrow night as well – wouldn't want them missing it now."

"You're never going to let me off easy, are you?"

"Never in a million years," Megumi answered with a smile. "It's my job as your sister, after all."

The waitress arrived with Skuld's order – a massive bowl filled with sixteen large scoops of ice cream, each one a different flavor. It was accompanied by copious amounts of whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, and hot fudge; Skuld had insisted on getting a fudge fountain before settling on a deluxe spread instead. Her younger sister eagerly dug into the confection, and bit by bit, the ice cream disappeared. Fortunately, the shop was largely unoccupied at this hour; the other patrons present paid little to no mind to Skuld's antics.

"Your parents?" Ansuz asked out of the blue. "Keima and Takano, I mean."

"Yes," Keiichi and Megumi both answered at the same time. They turned towards each other, waited for a few seconds, and burst into laughter.

"I'll let you handle this one, Kei-chan." Megumi settled back into her seat.

"Well, let's hear it."

"How do I begin…" Keiichi scratched the back of his head. "If you were to meet them in person, you'd think they were the strangest couple in the world. Keima…well…has a phobia of being touched by other women – it caused quite a ruckus the last time he visited us." He slightly chuckled for a few moments. "As for Takano, she's a very lively person. Almost like you, as a matter of fact."

Ansuz's lips formed a wry grin. "Is that so? Too bad she's not in town – we could've done a comparison in that case."

"That would've been…something. But nonetheless, we love them to death, even if they keep finding new ways to embarrass us."

Belldandy gave him a kiss on the left cheek, causing his face to redden. "Maybe we should go up there and pay them a visit," she said. "You did promise to take me to visit your hometown."

He turned his head slightly towards her. "I did, didn't I? I'll have to make good on that soon."

Everyone at the booth save for Skuld laughed in amusement; Belldandy, in particular, was pleased that he still remembered. Several weeks ago, during their trip to Nekomi's Museum of Natural History, he had promised to take her to visit his hometown in Hokkaido; a panorama photograph of a snow-covered forest brought up the topic. She had felt very elated as she accepted his offer; it was a golden opportunity to learn more about Keiichi's past – his life before he met her on that fateful night.

_Maybe someday, I'll be able to return the favor in full._

"Well, it was good seeing all of you," Megumi spoke up. "And you as well, ma'am." She nodded at Ansuz.

"Leaving already?" Keiichi asked her.

"I've been here for too long. At this rate, I'm going to miss the sale I came for in the first place." Megumi got up from her seat and left the booth. "Kei-chan, Belldandy, I'll see both of you tomorrow at the studio."

The door chimed once as it opened and closed; Belldandy saw Megumi wave at her from outside as she departed. She waved back and smiled before turning back to her mother and Skuld. Her younger sister had just finished the last of her ice cream, leaving nothing behind in the bowl save for a few drops of hot fudge on the rim.

"Can we get another Aftershock?" Skuld asked her.

She did her best to stifle the laughter building up in her throat; despite that, a few peals escaped her lips. "I think you've had enough ice cream for one afternoon, sweetie."

"But…"

"Your sister's right." Her mother looked down at Skuld with a faint smile. "Too much of a good thing is detrimental, even if it is your alternate energy source."

In spite of those words, Skuld continued to pout in her seat. "It's still not fair…"

"Life isn't fair, Skuld. You'll have to get used to that." Ansuz snapped her right fingers. "While we're on that subject, I think I'm going to go see what all the commotion in the square's all about." She took Skuld by the arm and tugged her out of the booth. "And you're coming with me, young lady."

"But I don't want to!" Skuld desperately reached for her older sister. "Big sis, help me!"

"Bell, darling, we'll see you later tonight. The two of you enjoy yourselves."

Skuld gave her one last pleading look before being forced out through the door. Her mother followed shortly, winking at them as she disappeared outside.

"Did she just…" Keiichi stared through the window, his eyes tracking the goddesses.

Belldandy mirthfully laughed. "Yes, dear, I think she did." She turned towards her boyfriend and kissed him briefly on the lips. "So, now that we're all alone, what do you say about finishing up and going off by ourselves?"

"But we're still not done shopping yet. What about the rest of –."

She silenced him with a finger on his lips. "There's always tomorrow for that. Right now, I want you all to myself."

Keiichi took a few deep breaths to calm himself before getting up. Once he was outside of the booth, he took her by the hand and helped her out; his hand felt warm to the touch. "Shall we?" he said as they walked out the door.

She beamed at him. "Most definitely."

* * *

By the time nightfall arrived, Keiichi was more than ready to drop asleep on the spot. He had spent the majority of the afternoon racing up and down the Nekomi ridge circuit at Belldandy's insistence. With her assistance, he'd managed to clear the curves at top speed with the sidecar attached; she'd gotten much better at acting as counterweight. Despite that, his limbs eventually tired out from the strain the bike put on them, and he had to stop after five traverses of the course.

He barely noticed the noise coming from the tea room as he left the bathroom – Urd and Skuld were busy arguing over television rights yet again. His legs felt leaden; each step that he took was accompanied by a soft _thump _as his feet touched the mahogany floor. When he finally made it inside his room, he promptly collapsed in front of his desk.

_At least nothing weird happened today. _ Keiichi waited for several minutes before picking himself up from the floor. He scooted over to his desk and examined the papers strewn across the surface. Most of them were letters addressed to him – promotions from shops in the area and the like. A couple of unfinished sketches – motorcycle concepts – occupied the center. He'd spent the past week coming up with designs he would work on at the first opportunity, when their finances reached a comfortable margin.

He let out a long-drawn sigh. Working for Chihiro paid the bills, but left little for other purposes. Belldandy barely made minimum wage as Whirlwind's receptionist; Chihiro kept expenses as low as she possibly could. Unfortunately, there were few alternatives available to him; mechanics were hardly in demand. Wyvern had already filled the position he was initially offered at the end of his last year, a job he could have landed had it not been for one simple mistake – a missing foreign language credit. Not one day goes by without him wondering what his life could have been like had he gotten that job, and the possibilities that could've come from it.

Still, the present situation was hardly cause for him to complain. For one, he had the house; while it technically remained on loan from the monk, there was no indication that he would return anytime within the near future. More importantly, Belldandy was here with him; her presence alone was more than enough to lift his spirits whenever his resolve faltered.

_If only Urd and Skuld would help out more…_

The door to his room slid open. "Keiichi, are you alright?"

Keiichi turned his head towards the door. "Been better, Bell."

Belldandy stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. She'd already changed into her sleepwear, a pair of grey sweatpants and a fuchsia tank top. Smiling, she quietly made her way across the room until she was right behind Keiichi.

"It's been quite a day, hasn't it dear?" she said as she sat down.

"You could say that." He flexed a couple of fingers on his left hand. "My hands are still sore from holding onto the handlebars so tightly."

"Want me to fix that for you?" A soft blue glow emanated from her palms.

"I'll manage. It should be better by tomorrow anyways."

Keiichi turned back towards the desk and picked up his tracing pencil. He began to work on the most recent sketch, adding in more details to the motorcycle's frame.

Belldandy leaned over his left shoulder. "Still haven't finished with that?"

"Far from it. There're so many details I still haven't sketched in yet – the disc brakes, for one. And after that, the technical specifications for all of the parts involved. If I put my mind to it, it'll probably take a few more days."

"Going to turn it into a blueprint?"

"If I have the time." He finished detailing the end of the exhaust pipe. "You haven't checked up on me like this in a while. What's going on, Bell?"

"Do I really need a reason?" she whispered into his ear with a sultry voice.

Drops of sweat trickled down Keiichi's forehead; his breathing slightly quickened. "I…I guess not. But is this really okay, with your mother being here and all? I'd imagine she'd have a couple of choice words for the both of us if she walked in now."

"She knows. If anything, she'd be pleased to see us like this." She draped her right arm around his shoulders. "I'm not making you too uncomfortable, am I?"

"Not at all." A trickle of blood flowed out of his left nostril – one of the few reactions he was still unable to suppress. He wiped the blood away with his right sleeve; a crimson blot stained the spot that came into contact with his face.

"I'm glad to hear that." Belldandy chuckled in amusement for a few seconds. "You would have completely lost it a couple of months ago. Yet here you are, taking all of this in stride."

"I guess it's all thanks to you. How do I put it…I didn't think you'd be…receptive to all of this. If we didn't have that moment by the sea on that day, we would've never gone this far."

She nuzzled the crook of his neck. "All this time, you were waiting for me?"

"I suppose so…no, wait, let me rephrase that. Yes, I was." Keiichi clasped her right hand in his left, gently squeezing her fingers. "For so long, I wasn't sure how to move forward, with us. You'd suggest one thing one day and another thing the very next. It was…confusing, to say the least. And having Urd and Skuld around didn't make it easier."

"I see…" Her eyes became downcast; she shifted her glance away from him, towards the closet door.

"It's not like that!" he said, panic rising in his voice. "I just…I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Even though you said you were here for reasons beyond the contract, a part of me can't help but wonder if you'd rather be somewhere else."

"Keiichi!" Belldandy yanked her hand out of his grasp. "After all this time, you still doubt me?"

Before he could respond, she grabbed both of his shoulders and turned him towards her. Without saying a word, she hugged him tightly, drawing him into her chest – he could feel her soft mounds pressing into him. On instinct, he reciprocated the gesture, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace.

"I do _love_ you, with all my heart. I meant it every single time I said those words to you." She gently withdrew her arms and cupped his face in her hands. Her cobalt-blue irises gazed squarely on his – he could see his reflection in them. "There's nowhere else in this universe I'd want to be, because…" A single teardrop escaped from her left eye. "…the only thing that matters to me is here."

"Bell…"

"I _need_ you to believe that. I…I wouldn't know what to do if you didn't."

Keiichi put up his best smile for her. "Have you ever given me a reason to doubt you?" For a brief moment, he caught a glimmer of fear in her expression. _What was that about? _ "Of course I believe you, Bell. I love you, after all."

"Keiichi…" She let go of his face and leaned in, resting her head on his left shoulder.

"There's also the fact that you can't lie, being a first-class goddess and all." Belldandy shuddered in his arms. "I'm joking, I'm joking. That's hardly the main reason why I _completely_ trust you."

She pinched his back with her right hand, causing him a small amount of pain. "I like the new you. Less stammering, more…open…with your thoughts – if only you were like this sooner. I wonder what I'm going to do with you."

He gulped. "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe we should just call it a night and –."

"Hush now. Why do you think I'm here with you tonight?" Her right pointer brushed down across his lips. "I think it's about time we slept in the same room. After all, we've been together for long enough already."

"S-same room!?" Keiichi's eyes went wide – his chest heaved up and down rapidly. "But-but what about Skuld? She's going to have a fit if she sees us together in the same futon. I'd rather not wake up with soot in my face."

"Let me worry about that. She'll have to answer to me if anything happens to you. It's about time she accepted the fact that nothing's going to separate us – not now, not ever."

He raised his right eyebrow. "Nothing?"

"Nothing at all." She got up and went to the closet, opening the door with a wave of her hand. His futon floated out and unfurled itself in the middle of the room before settling on the tatami floor. Belldandy snapped her fingers twice. A spark escaped from her hand and flew into the futon, causing it to expand until it was large enough to comfortably accommodate two bodies.

In less than a minute, Belldandy slipped into the left side of the futon and rested her head on a pink pillow. "Aren't you going to join me, dear?"

Keiichi glanced down at her chest and saw the faintest hints of her cleavage; the top of her bosoms weren't covered by her top. His cheeks began heating up, turning bright red in the process. A part of him was tempted to grab them, yet for some reason _something_ held him back from acting on the urge. Instead, he settled on giving her a chaste kiss on the forehead before slipping into the other side. A white pillow appeared out of thin air in her hands, which she promptly tossed at him.

"What was that for?" He placed the pillow at the top of the futon and lay down on it. It was considerably softer and more comfortable than his regular one – it fit his profile to the last detail.

"Nothing in particular." She flashed a bright smile at him. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I have a couple of ideas." He leaned in closer towards her, until only a hair's breadth of air separated them. "Starting with this…"

Without warning, Keiichi closed the distance and kissed Belldandy on the lips. It took a few seconds for her to respond in kind; she ran her fingers through his hair and parted her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss. The world seemed to slow down to a standstill around him – each brush of her tongue against his lasted for longer than it should. He could feel heat building up on both her face and his. A soft, involuntary moan escaped her throat.

He finally parted from her, unable to go on any longer without breath. He kept his hands on her forearms, unwilling to let go of her. Another smile crept up on his face, and before he realized it, he let loose several peals of laughter.

"About time you took charge of _this._" Belldandy's cheeks remained a light shade of pink. "See, there's nothing for you to worry about at all. I'm still here, and I'm not embarrassed about what we did at all."

"I…I guess. When you put it like that…" He rolled around until his back came to rest on the futon.

"And now there's something else I want to do as well."

Belldandy snapped her fingers. The switch on the wall flipped in response, shutting off the overhead lights. Moonlight streaming through the main window became the only source of illumination. It became difficult for him to identify the presences in his room – his eyes still haven't adjusted to the conditions.

He felt Belldandy snuggle up against him; her right arm gently wrapped over his chest. "Goodnight, Keiichi," she murmured.

Throwing all of his inhibitions to the wind, Keiichi used his right arm to draw her closer. "Sweet dreams, Bell."

It took only a few minutes for her to drift off into slumber. Soft breaths escaped her lips, warming the crook of his neck. Before he knew it, drowsiness overcame his senses as well; his eyelids began fluttering rapidly.

Sleep took him for the night, and for the first time in a long while, Keiichi wasn't alone in his dreams.

* * *

The heat in the room was stifling by her standards. Belldandy could hardly stop herself from sweating – rivulets ran down her body, soaking her tank top. Steam escaped her lips every time she took a breath. Despite the discomfort it was causing her, she refused to slow down her current…_pleasure_; her mind simply would not allow it.

A _primal_ urge had been building up within her all night, and she no longer cared to suppress it. And so, she continued to _devour_ her paramour's lips, taking in every last bit of _his_ taste with vigor. To her delight, he responded with matched enthusiasm; she could feel his hands run up and down her back, sending shocks through her spine. An animalistic growl came up from her throat – his reaction was to roll them both over until he was on top of her.

"No fair…" She pouted. "I don't want you to see me like this."

"You're beautiful, Bell. There's nothing for you to be embarrassed about at all."

She forced herself back on top of him and pinned his body down with her own. Before he could get another word in, Belldandy kissed him again. It didn't take long before his body relaxed; she immediately snuck her hands underneath his shirt, feeling up his chest. She could feel him mimic her actions; his arms worked their way beneath her top, clutching at her bare skin. A soft moan escaped her lips.

"Touch me…," she breathed. "Make me yours, Keiichi…"

Lust overcame her, and she promptly tore off Keiichi's shirt – the fabric made a ripping noise as the seams came apart. Casting the remnants of the material aside, she began kissing his exposed chest with a manic fervor. Each contact with his skin served only to increase her arousal, amplified by his continued rubbing of her lower spine. She leaned in closer, allowing him to bite down on the nape of her neck. The pain lasts only for a split second before being replaced by a dull throbbing; she nipped his right earlobe in response.

Keiichi's hands moved forward, remaining in contact with her body, until they cupped her bosoms, whereupon he gently squeezed them, eliciting another moan from her. She rubs her thigh against his, urging him to continue on. His hands began to knead her soft, fleshy breasts at a steady rhythm; at regular intervals, his fingers would brush across her nipples, sending shocks of pleasure through her. Her breathing became shallow and loud as coherent thought fell into the background. Right now, all she _wanted_ was him – all of him, the consequences be damned.

She firmly grabbed the bottom of her tank top and pulled it off her, revealing her bare upper body in full to her paramour. His eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight before him. Smiling, she beckoned him over, prompting him to resume his ministrations on her mounds.

"Take me…," Belldandy managed to say in between her moans.

His left hand slowly moved downwards until it brushed against her sweatpants' waistline. He thumbed the material in between his fingers for a few seconds before slipping his hand in. She grew more excited as his hand moved lower and lower – his touch was…electrifying. Only a few moments more, and he would _touch_ her _there…_

And suddenly her eyes snapped open. Belldandy shot up from her rest, completely drenched in sweat. She breathed heavily and rapidly for the better part of a minute; each breath escaped from her in a cloud of steam. She looked down and saw that her top was completely soaked. Her side of the futon was in a similar state; she could feel the dampness of the material through her sweatpants.

She shifted her gaze towards Keiichi and saw that he was still sound asleep. Sighing in relief, she adjusted the covers until they fully covered him, and then slipped out. Her heart continued to throb rapidly, threatening to burst out of her; she clutched her chest in an attempt to calm it down.

A ray of sunlight trickled through the window, illuminating a horizontal strip on the wall and everything in between. She glanced over at the alarm clock and saw that it was already morning – a few minutes past seven. Her sisters would still be asleep at this hour; none of them have bothered to rise early in recent weeks. As for her mother, she had no clue what she would be up to; Ansuz kept an irregular schedule.

As much as she would like to remain in bed until _her_ Keiichi woke up, there were too many chores to take care off. First and foremost, she had to prepare breakfast for him. After that, she would have to set the spells for cleaning the house, a task she was not looking forward to; it would be her first time using them. Yet there was no other choice. The cooking contest was to take place today at the studio; there would be no one left at the house to take care of the cleaning, or supervise for that matter.

Her eyes fell on Keiichi's sleeping form again, and her heart quickened. Belldandy had to get out of the room, lest she forget her responsibilities. She tiptoed across the floor, taking care to avoid the depressions in the floor. _I'll have to get around to fixing those. _ Her feet brushed against the edge of the futon; Keiichi stirred slightly in his sleep, mumbling inaudible phrases. The door creaked as she slid it open enough to allow her to squeeze through. Once outside and sufficiently separated from him, Belldandy let out a long-drawn breath.

"It was so real…," she murmured.

She could still _taste_ him on her lips, even though no such contact occurred between them throughout the night. The memories of him _touching_ her were so vivid that she had trouble believing that it was all in her mind. _His hands…I'll never look at them the same way again. And I had no idea he was so…primal. _ It was difficult for her to distinguish between fact and her flights of fancy; no doubt that part of Keiichi's behavior in her dreams stemmed from her idealized image of him. She would have to reconcile that at some point. More important, however…

_There's no denying it. I __**want**__ him – all of him. And if I'm going to get that… _ The dreaded artifact came to mind. _Anything but that! All of the things I've done…they'll be called to account if we ever have to go through __**that**__. _ She shuddered at the thought. There were so many issues to reconcile before she would be ready for _that_. Even then, there was no guarantee that _he_ would respond favorably to the truth.

"Everything alright, darling?"

Belldandy sprung off the floor in shock, turned around once her feet were back on the ground, and found her mother waiting for her. She was already dressed up for the day and showed no sign of weariness – it appeared that she was awake for some time already.

"Everything's fine," she answered with an even tone.

Ansuz gave her a set smile. "If you say so, dear. But I must say, I haven't seen you in a sweat in quite some time. Are you sure everything's –."

"Yes, mother! There's nothing to worry about." She quickly glanced towards Keiichi's room. No noise emerged from within. She breathed a sigh of relief – her voice had risen for the last exchange.

"You should probably get changed, then. We may be Asgardians, but it's still not healthy to walk around in soaked garments. When you're done, come find me in the kitchen. I'll help you cook breakfast today."

Ansuz opened the tea room's sliding door, winking at her as she walked past the threshold. Once she was sure that her mother was beyond earshot, she let out another long-drawn breath. Their conversation to come was bound to be colorful; she'd probably get an earful from her for the rest of the morning. Nothing ever managed to slip past Ansuz's scrutiny; the present situation was unlikely to be different.

There was no other choice; she would simply have to deal with it. She took a moment to stretch her arms upwards before heading towards her room.

_I'll have to move my things into his room later._

* * *

_This is the last time I'll ever go through this,_ Belldandy reflected to herself.

Television broadcasts, it seemed, required a great deal of discomfort and unnecessary embellishments in order to make the content 'presentable.' The studio lights were turned up so brightly that she could barely concentrate on the task at hand – putting the final touches on her Sauerbraten. While they shouldn't be affecting her, the bright lights were causing her eyes to squint at the most inopportune moments. Worse yet, she couldn't _will_ the lights to dim on their own; the technical crew would notice and simply readjust the brightness.

She couldn't use any of her powers here, for that matter – too many people, both in the studio and at television sets nationwide, were watching her every move. As a result, she found herself moving more than usual between various points at her counter. On one end, the Sauerbraten continued to simmer over the stove – a few minutes more and she can turn off the flame and finish the gravy. In the oven, the confit byaldi was just about done – the vegetables had sufficiently browned over. At the center were various bottles and shakers containing spices and condiments, labeled and precisely measured for each individual entree. The sink, located at the right edge of the counter, was filled halfway, ready to receive the oven pan and cool the contents within.

Belldandy turned off the oven and brought out the pan, taking care to avoid having it touch her bare skin. She gently lowered it into the sink and watched a thick cloud of steam billow upwards, where it was quickly taken out by the studio's kitchen chimney hood. Wasting no time, she took the pot off the stove and used a pair of tongs to remove the roast, setting it down on a large square plate. She then added prepared portions of gingerbread, flour, sour cream, and brown sugar into the roast's marinade, stirring the contents to ensure an even spread. Slowly, the mixture began to thicken until it resembled chunks of gravy. She stirred it a couple more times before emptying the pot over the roast, covering the cut with a moderately thick layer of gravy.

_Just a bit more to go. _ She sprinkled a few dashes of sage onto the finished Sauerbraten before turning her attention back to the sink. By this time, the pan had sufficiently cooled; she used a paring knife to separate the contents from the pan before lifting it off with a spatula. It took her less than a minute to rearrange the vegetables in a circular soup dish, taking care to preserve the counterclockwise spiral pattern. She then gently poured the piperade over the dish, taking care to sufficiently cover the vegetables. Finally, she sprinkled a few additional leaves of parsley to compliment the spices already added in beforehand.

There was still time to spare, so she took a moment to glance over the other finalist's entrees. To her right, a middle-aged restaurateur had prepared a cut of cod steak flavored with salt and ginger, accompanied by a side dish of raw tuna salad. He was currently sprinkling additional spices onto the steak – black pepper, from what she can tell.

_Maybe I should have prepared something else. _ Two of the three judges for this contest had backgrounds in traditional Japanese cuisine. They were more than likely inclined to vote in favor of her competitor – his entrees mostly fit the bill as Japanese dishes.

Just as her mood threatened to sink, her eyes caught sight of the first row of the audience. There, Keiichi, Skuld, Urd, her mother, and Megumi were watching her, cheering her on along with a good portion of the spectators. A smile briefly flashed across her face, and her spirits were lifted.

"Thank you," she mouthed at Keiichi. Once she realized the cameras were on her, she covered her mouth in shock and turned beet red.

"…and time's up!" the host announced from the front of the stage.

The three judges, who up until now have been sitting among the audience, got up and made their way over to the counters. Each of them sampled a small portion of the entrees, jotted notes on a small pad, and talked amongst themselves for some time. "Interesting…," one of them, an old man, murmured to himself – Belldandy couldn't hear the rest of it.

The audience held their breath in anticipation; not one stray sound came from the benches. Even the host, who up until now couldn't resist getting a comment in whenever the opportunity arose, remained silent. The only noises within the studio were the steady humming of the stage lights and the hushed discussion between the judges.

At this point, Belldandy was about ready to go mad with anticipation. She tapped her fingers continuously on the counter, earning her a glare from her competitor. Minutes passed by as the judges continued deliberating; at certain points, the discussions became rather heated, or so she thought.

Finally, one of the judges handed a note over to the host, who took a moment to read it before folding it up. "We have a winner!" he announced, pointing at Belldandy.

Cheers erupted throughout the crowd, especially from the front row; in particular, Keiichi and the rest of her family rose up in applause. She felt a surge of pride swell up within her, and instead of moderating it like before, allowed it to run its course, basking in it fully.

* * *

Evening had barely begun to set in by the time they arrived back at the temple; the sky was slowly turning a light shade of orange. A cool breeze blew through the courtyard, ruffling Keiichi's hair as it passed him by.

Urd and Skuld had already arrived through their respective travel mediums; they were more than likely preoccupied with staking their claim on the television set yet again. Belldandy, on the other hand, had chosen to accompany him back on the sidecar. As for Ansuz, she was waiting for them in front of the main door, waving at the couple as they walked along the path.

"It's about time you two returned home," she said once they were within earshot. "We've been waiting for quite some time already."

"We felt like taking the scenic route back," Belldandy answered her.

"So you did." Ansuz walked past them, turning around once she was sufficiently far enough from the house. "Well, I think it's time I went back home. As much as I'd like to stay, there's too much work to be done."

Belldandy frowned slightly. "I see…"

Ansuz tried to put up her best smile. "It's for the best, I think. I wouldn't want to intrude, after all." She winked at him. "Your sisters took it rather well."

"Promise to come back soon? Or at least call more often?"

"I might not be able to come back here for some time. My work…well…it's become rather unpredictable lately. But as for staying in touch, I promise." She shifted her gaze towards Keiichi. "Take care of her, alright? I'm counting on you."

He nodded. Belldandy leaned closer towards him and squeezed his right hand affectionately.

Ansuz brought up her left arm and tapped her wristwatch twice. An orb of light materialized above the device. She said a few incoherent words – the same language Belldandy used to employ in her spellcasting – into the orb; it flashed twice in response. Immediately, Ansuz was enveloped in a swirl of blue particles. Her body began to rapidly dematerialize into the same particles, which disappeared into thin air, until she and the particles completely vanished.

"It was nice having her over," he spoke up after a while.

"Yes. As much as I like her though, I'm hoping that her next visit will be more…subdued."

A sly grin crept up on Keiichi's face. "Don't tell me you were _that_ embarrassed."

"She does have a way of making me feel like a young girl again." Belldandy let out a sigh. "I guess we both feel the same way about our parents."

He smiled at her. Despite the fact that she was a goddess, or rather, an Asgardian – he would have to get used to referring to her as that – there were many aspects that they shared in common. Ansuz's visit had made that all the more clear to him. Perhaps they weren't so different after all, no matter how it appeared on the outside.

_And maybe, just maybe, I can understand her as I properly should, and be worthy of her._


End file.
